- Some electronic music fans associate Romania with a hypnotic brand of minimal. For certain locals, however, this association obscures artists who are pushing sounds that are closer to the nation's complex cross-continental character. One of these is Future Nuggets, a label run by Ion and Camil Dumitrescu (no relation). The Bucharest-based label has explored Romani manele and forgotten synth lords alike, charting an alternate perspective of Romanian music. Its new sub-label is P-Balans, and this first 12-inch brings together four productions from the label founders and two affiliates, Borusiade and Khidja.
Borusiade's "Marsch" is a driving cut from a producer better known for her slower, chugging productions on Cômeme and Correspondant. The track's second half is punctuated by a series of effective breaks, which act like a gasp for air amid the whorl of chattering percussion and gassy textures. The mix is dense with activity, but Borusiade's knack for subtly contrasting sound selections makes "Marsch" more canny. As Utopus, Ion Dumitrescu contributes a pastoral cut that, due to its psychedelic yet serene melodies, isn't quite house or techno, sounding more like motorik krautrock (the label calls it "technodelia"). Khidja juxtapose acoustic and electronic instrumentation in their cantering, triplet-time track, which uses modal scales to create a distinct tonality. Midway through, they drop the triplets and dive into a propulsive rhythm, adding straight-up dance floor satisfaction to the unlikely concoction.
The Holy Fix's track is the purest of the lot, but its cascading melody and simple bassline make for a satisfying slo-mo hybrid of electro, EBM, new wave and industrial. P-Balans is more dance floor-oriented than Future Nuggets, but the label's first record shows a rich mongrel sound, an intriguing look at the variety lurking behind the scenes in Romanian electronic music.
Lista de títulosA1 The Holy Fix - Black Rubber
A2 Khidja - World Of Noon
B1 Borusiade - Marsch
B2 Utopus - Re-Velvet