David Herrero – ‘Bad Day’ EP

David Herrero is a man we knew as a prolific and solid if unremarkable producer of consistently decent, quality tech house. Releases that have seen support from the likes of Marco Carola, Loco Dice and Richie Hawtin indicate the strength of his music as part of the truly global sound of the underground. Latest EP ‘Bad Day’ was a pleasant surprise at TNG towers. We were expecting deep, tribal and “organic” sounds, plenty of groove and rhythm but not necessarily that much up ‘n at ’em action.

Versatility and adaptability are two of David Herrero’s main strengths and maybe he picked up a few tricks working with ViVa and Suara when you think about the sound of artists like Darius Syrossian and Jay Lumen and how they manage to add plenty of depth and character to their output but also bring that cutting edge. It could also be the effect of Defected Records, the imprint is on its own a stamp of approval and it could be that this relationship is bringing out a different side to the Spanish artist; but forgetting all that, this three-track release is a banger in its own right.

First up on the EP is title track ‘Bad Day’. Intangible moans and groans with undulating bass tones, a snapping snare and a beat that rolls, this is something we didn’t expect from the high-yielding DJ but we’re definitely feeling it. The inescapable tension builds around the sound but the release is subtle and gradual, the beat comes cruising out of the confusion in this peak-time romper.

Pareidolia is a psychological phenomenon where the subconscious, in its attempt to recognise patterns in things such as sounds or images, imposes meaning which isn’t there into the source material. A visual example is seeing faces or shapes in the clouds, an auditory example is us at TNG not being able to think of anything other than “he loves that builder” when we listen to the second track of the EP – ‘I Like That Feel’ – and the stomping bassline and distracted synth sounds roll out. I Like That Feel is more playful and energetic than the title track and probably the best track on the EP. When it gets going it really does ride the crest of this quality groove-riddled tech house wave going off at the minute.

Last up, ‘O’clock’ bowls out of the blocks with a low end show of strength more typical of what we originally expected from David. Vocal cuts pitched high, low and in between offset each other to gradually crank up the pressure and drop out into a weighty bassline that can’t help but show its true analog colours as it periodically releases steam.

Bad Day is a cracking tech house release from David Herrero with three distinct tracks united by an unmistakable groove bubbling below the surface, bags of energy and vocal spurs that keep the rhythm riding. Look out for the EP on the 20th of this month on Defected Records.

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