Review Summary: Coevolution
When techno producers have fine-tuned their sound to a nearly vascular level of function, the transfusion of other DJs can be patchy: either a contrasting tracklist split, or just a flimsy hybrid.
We Move As One, a collaboration between Antigone and Francois X (both Parisians), is a sort of ambling unity. Rather than two creative forces slammed together, the double EP is more like an ongoing rapport. A common issue for tech-house producers is longevity beyond a standard EP runtime, but the very gradual construction at hand translates to something varied, but never tedious or half-fleshed. Blissfully adrift, it’s really more of a casual celebration than a specific mission statement, but delivered with some gusto. DEMENT3D Records describes their latest output as “
a record that embodies the spirit of community that has been fostering the Parisian crowd for over three years.” It's an album blending patience and spontaneity - deliberate rhythms and eccentric backgrounds.
Tracks like “The Hated SZ” and “Ready To Escape” ride a house beat in a way that feels both linear and wandering, heads on a swivel, rubbernecking at passing echoes and flittering synths, summing up
We Move As One nicely. “The Hated SZ” gradually instills some apprehension - not really frantic, but more of a calm focus coinciding with an about-to-get-caught sensation of hacking someone’s computer. Auxiliary shuffles and clatters are quickly brushed off as the track settles into a steely rhythm. Most of the songs have a sort of self-contained story despite an album that feels continuously sidetracked. “Journey Home” begins with a fluid beat, then succumbs to cosmic noises, building a sense of clarity amidst the chaos. “The Sorcerer” doesn’t really feel like a flagrant display of magic, but rather a disciplined, slowly-building fervour. That’s sort of what it boils down to;
We Move As One is well-executed French tech-house for established fans of the current scene, rather than an attempt to recruit outsiders via pointless bells and whistles. What’s more, it’s almost impossible to tell where Antigone begins and Francois X ends; there’s very few noticeable seams. Funnily, it’s perhaps best suited to late-night, foggy-visioned listening, where you’re more prone to double takes, yet less likely to care once the beat absolves you of any concerns.
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