Thursday, April 14, 2022

The Houghton Blues EP - ARA - U & Radioactive Man (No Static/Automatic)

 


Title: The Houghton Blues EP

Artist: ARA-U & Radioactive Man

Label: NO STATIC/AUTOMATIC 

Cat Number: NSA003

Genre: Electro


A1: Sounds Like Prince

A2: Machines Chit-Chat

B1: What Happened To The Stash

B2: The Houghton Blues


This is the sound of what happens when electro maestro Radioactive Man meets up with one of the relatively new kids on the block, ARA-U. Conceived as an antidote to the cancellation of Houghton in 2019, this funk-filled foray into the duo’s state of mind at that time is a spontaneous and robust piece of work that monitors electro fluctuations with panache. I imagine ‘Sounds Like Prince’ is so named because of the occasional keys that crash in, otherwise it doesn’t sound anything like him. Great tune though, with a lovely ventilated feel. ‘Machines Chit-Chat’ & ‘What Happened To The Stash’ have similar, skittish synth lines throughout their respective lengths and heavy bass. The title track features what sounds like a bass-driven vocal and again, that busy synth sound. It manages to sound both nervous and relaxed simultaneously. It’s possibly the most accomplished tune here and once the drama comes crashing in, has a lovely central European cold war vibe, which is nice.

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