- Though most attention on Vancouver's increasingly prominent underground focuses on Mood Hut, the launch of a label from Pacific Rhythm, a burgeoning online record store run by friends of that crew, proves that others have just as much to offer. The new imprint's first release, Rhythms Of The Pacific Vol. 1, is a local affair that showcases the increasingly distinct sound of the Canadian Riviera (as they affectionately call it). Featuring tracks from Mood Hut's Hashman Deejay, gear wizard Cloudface and Lnrdcroy—one of Vancouver's most promising new names—it shows that Vancouver's dance music scene is as healthy as it's ever been.
Lnrdcroy's two tracks take up a whole side. The first is an extended mix of a highlight from his excellent debut album on 1080p earlier this year, and it's a welcome reprise. "Sunrise Market" epitomizes the vibe of Vancouver's new wave of house music producers—it's got a loungey bassline, a daydreaming melody and luscious samples, perfectly capturing the dazed feeling that unites so many of the city's producers. His other contribution, "Time Zone (Mix 2)," shows a tougher side, relentlessly funky and rinsing out a stoic chord progression.
On the flipside, Cloudface, who has appeared on Mood Hut and Black Opal in the past, offers up another slice of dance floor catnip with "Panter Bleu." Sitting on harsh, oddly detuned drums, this one's all about crunch, from the acrid acid lines to the raspy chord stabs. Hashman Deejay's remix of Memory Man, an unknown quantity, rounds things off in grubbier fashion: trigger-happy delay smears a vocal across the jittery rhythm section for something that feels both pointed and psychedelic.
トラックリストA1 Lnrdcroy - Sunrise Market (Extended Version)
A2 Lnrdcroy – Time Zone (Mix Two)
B1 Memory Man – Memory Man (Hashman Deejay Libra Dub)
B2 Cloudface – Panter Bleu