- In the '90s, Emmanuel Top was it. Apart from an album on NovaMute, he had tracks like "Turkich Bazaar," "Fusion" and "Static." Then there was the massive "Acid Phase," a track on par with the popularity of Hardfloor's "Aceperience" in the 303 world. Perhaps the Frenchman's best quality was a willingness to experiment, with his 12-inches sometimes containing short sketches, or else epics of ten minutes or more. After a decade-long hiatus, this is the first of two new singles, the second being April's acid-soaked "Domino." More importantly though, there's apparently another album in the works.
Muted and sparse, "Addiction" calls to mind stained mattresses, flickering bulbs and overloaded ashtrays. At 13 minutes long, faint snare hits fade in and out of focus with a sleazy synth and the constant pulse of barely tapped cymbals. It's an exercise in repetition, like infinite identical days spent chasing, scoring and consuming. "Revival" lifts above this narcotic haze and sharpens the edges. Where the A-side is largely static, here an elated synth spends six whole minutes inching towards release. When it finally arrives—the nagging tension of withdrawal beaten—the proceeding liberation is slightly underwhelming. But then, that's not what the track's about. Rather, it's a triumph of journey over destination, even if that destination is sober reality.
トラックリストA Addiction
B Revival