We are big time Hector Couto aficionados. We love his brand of thumping, groove-infected house; too much perhaps. Maybe we’re spoilt even, maybe we got so caught up in our Hector Couto love-in that we built up such an expectation of every release that bore his name it was inevitable that we might one day find one and think that it was perhaps a little subdued. Sadly, that day has come.
Now, don’t get us wrong, what we have here with ‘Frequencies’ is four tracks of quality, well-hewn house fit for both floor and personal use, but this just doesn’t quite hit the heady, serotonin-boosting, endorphin-flushing heights as tracks like his remix of Douglas Greed’s ‘Summerless’ or that peak-time coaster that we consider to be amongst the very top tracks of 2013, ‘Don’t Turn Back’. Admittedly though, where could he have gone from there?
So what has the man from Tenerife got in store for us in this latest instalment? Another in a line of solid releases on BPC, the Frequencies EP is set to touch down just in time for England’s first game at the World Cup. Top track ‘Get Ready’, like all good Couto beats, makes use of the hi’s and bass complimentary rhythms to ensure that all those joints are being worked when it drops; it’s a energetic work-out track that grows with each play.
Next up is another cut straight from the underground. ‘Gettin Closer’ is probably our choice of the bunch with its off-beat, menacing lead and all round cut-and-thrust. ‘Kick This So’ is another enigma. At the same as being a bottom-heavy belter with a side-portion of raw acid, we still found ourselves hunting that final gear. In no way get it twisted, this track is still class. If it was anyone else we’d be giving rave reviews but he’s set the bar so high for himself we have to keep everything relative. Last up, ‘State of Mind’ is probably the least club-ready of the quartet but nonetheless a decent, laidback cut all the same. Swinging hats and tell-tale percussive flair bring the EP to a cool, soulful finish.
So all-in-all then, what to say? This release comes fully recommended from us as it as strong as most of the stuff out there at the minute. Gettin Closer and Kick This So are without doubt worthy of support and as a foursome you can’t really go wrong. That said, there are one or two moments when you expect a further level of expansion that never quite arrives but hey, this cake’s tasty enough without the cherry on top. Frequencies is available from 13 June from all good four-four sources.
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