Whim-ee – ‘Medusa’ (digital edition)

Following the release of its debut four-track 12-inch with Whim-ee’s ‘Medusa’, Trojan House Records has today unleashed the digital edition of the EP, which sports two new original tracks by the Parisian underground starlet – ‘Confusion’ and ‘Di Love’ – along with remixes by Sami Wentz, Paolo Driver and S-ampel, who delivers a fresh take on ‘Your Eyes’, featuring Coolwaiss.

With the vinyl edition having already found its way into the sets of Horse Meat Disco, Marco Carola and Sidney Charles, among many others, we might have thought we had a good idea of what to expect from the digital version of the EP, certainly in terms of it’s focus and appeal. Nevertheless, the CDJ-ready tracks do in fact bear a somewhat alternative vibe to their analog counterparts – a more contemporary, tech house feel overall, leaving behind some of the classic deep house sounds heard in October’s release. As such it’s roped in a slightly different set of key players, the likes of Rhadow and Fish Go Deep showing early support.

‘Confusion’ let’s the bass take the lead with soft, stripped-back kicks treading lightly over a low-end pad that’s as warm as it is delicate. A second bassline of percussive keys provides the rhythm, along with a bell-like melody and a poignant vocal sample that wouldn’t at all be out of place on a Maya Jane Coles record. For his reinterpretation, Sami Wentz brings back the sample and lead line, but adds a fat dollop of squelch to the bass keys, some ghostly pads and cheeky vocal chops that unite to deliver a more uplifting, peak time number.

In much the same way as Audiofly’s classic ‘Below The Surface’, Whim-ee’s original version of ‘Di Love’ sounds like the perfect soundtrack to ‘20,000 Leagues Under the Sea’, though while its voices seem to echo from the depths, it wouldn’t do the track much justice simply to call it deep – there’s a prominent minimal sensibility going on here. Trojan House says that Whim-ee uses a bed of “industrial rhythmic timbers layered with hollow percussive sounds and distant vocal hymns that radiate a slight hopelessness and enjoyably drowsy feel,” which is as illustrative an account as you could ask. The big room sound returns courtesy of Italy’s Paolo Driver, who picks up the pace slightly, adds a funky bass hook, a generous helping of percussion and some cleverly mashed up vocals.

Where the classic, late night deep house sound really makes a comeback, however, is on S-ampel’s remix of ‘Your Eyes’ feat. Coolwaiss. Mixing jazzy, soulful east coast grooves with space-age effects and vocals drenched in delay, he presents a tense, elongated build up that eventually gives way to thudding kick drums over a swaggering bassline. You can check this and the rest of the EP below…

 

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