Various Artists / ‘The Napoli Connection’
Digital / Vinyl
Drumcode / Released February 28th 2011
Our love for the Swedish sound is pretty obvious, what with Adam Beyer’s Drumcode and Truesoul imprints regularly finding their output featured on these pages, not to mention Cari Lekebusch’s Hybrid-resurrection, H Productions. Here though the first of the aforementioned turns its attention south, to showcase some of Italy’s finest, making for a commendable effort toward bolstering international relations.
Many of you will recognise Sasha Carassi’s name, with those possessing a particularly well-maintained memory recalling his early work on Lee Burridge’s Fire. This time round he returns to the label responsible for last year’s Hypercombo EP with a drummy, crescendo filled workout that sets its lunging bassline off with a cacophony of percussion spiralling every which way about the rhythm. The result is music for very dark rooms, aptly titled Drumline.
Luigi Madonna’s 7 Swords follows along the same lines, with low-slung sentiments offering fog-horn hooks, and a gradual build into half-beats that serve to increase anticipation. As one would expect, once the white noise fades we’re back to square one, suggesting stomping feet and sweat droplets. In subtle contrast, Rino Cerrone & Mark Antonio drop a moody, synthy stepper in Junction Hands– a perfect tool with which to take the techno tempo down, while not easing up on toughness. Really though for most it will fall down to Joseph Capriati’s Vesuvio, and not just because so many people continue to love the Sandwell District sound right now. Decidedly more powerful than the other three tunes, mechanical hooks, classic rolling hi-hats and the odd breakdown are enough to grab any crowd, hook, line and sinker.
