- Fuckpony is the new product from Jay Haze and Samim – remember ‘House Nation’ anyone? Fusing the raw elements of Detroit and Chicago with songwriting and vocals, the project throws together drums, minimal madness, Chicago bass kicks and, most importantly, a sense of fun.
The title track has gained a lot of traction already – its souled out bump and synthy sway is the sound of two guys enjoying themselves their studio, while ‘Ride The Pony’ evokes the house classics of old with an oh-so-catchy lyric underpinned by soft samples and bite-sized keys.
The instrumental ‘Silence’ is steeped in loving details like rolling basslines, short chords, old acid lines and effects that ooze nostalgia – heads up, it’s time to get on the dancefloor. Elsewhere ‘Cell Phone Hit’ takes it way back, this time with the girls on the front foot and guys the objects of desire.
‘It’s Only Music’ nods to Ron Trent, Larry Heard and all those deep New York/New Jersey heads – it’s a killer groove that packs a punch around an echoed, angst-ridden female vocal. The influence of nights like Body and Soul and the DEMF are understood here as acid lines mingle with new school robots and old skool thinking – DJs as varied as Kenny Dope, M.A.N.D.Y and Magda will want some of this.
‘Freaky Stories Of Earth’ has roots in another era; the echoed and jaded vocal sounds like Carl Craig at the mic, Planet E style, toying in Derrick May’s bedroom with a TB-303. Glitches, bleeps, skips and claps – it’s a retro track that’s a little more up-tempo, a nice change of pace for the project. ‘93 at 4 AM’ has a song structure straight from an old Robert Owen track – this one is more raved-out than Shoreditch on a Sunday, and a welcome, less obvious line of inquiry than the Berlin aesthetic.
Calling a track ‘Bongo Porn’ – the weed and alcohol must have addled their minds. Key here is the dropped shoulder BPM, neat and naughty, replete with double handclaps and tranny bitch vocals. This number carries more weight than some of the others: it’s a little more stripped back, it lets the groove do the work. It’d sit well with some Mr. Fingers edits.
Get Physical must be happy with these two. Labelmates Booka Shade are enjoying the limelight at the moment, but that’s a project that doesn’t involve vocals, while here the front-and-center voices, as well as the song structures, really work well – Fuckpony are underground enough for remixes but, despite the name, also have a crossover appeal. ‘Children of Love’ bangs with more bounce than an ounce – it’ll appeal equally to DJs, naughty girls, big clubs, smalltown bars and heads with their caps on back to front dressed in baggy Evisu jeans.
トラックリスト1. Intro
2. Children Of Love
3. Ride The Pony
4. Silence
5. Cell Phone Hit
6. It's Only Music
7. Freaky Stories Of Earth
8. 93 At 4 AM
9. Get Pony
10. Make Money Hoe
11. Bongo Porn
12. Mafalda
13 Draft (6:39)