German duo Piemont have cropped up on a number of seminal labels recently,with their prolific mannerisms showing no sign of coming to an end thanks to this, the Okinawa EP on Wally Lopez’s The Factoria imprint. If that reads like quite a match, you’d be right, as the duo also known as Frederic Maring-Sack and Christian de Jonquieres deliver in a big way.
First up is the title track, a steely record with throbbing percussion and a firm, bass-guitar led groove. As is the pair’s trademark, it’s fueled by intensity, with a string array of cowbells and canny claps entering the equation to some delight.
Nature loving veteran Gabriel Ananda adds an expected dollop of melody to his interpretation of the latter. Catchy and playful, the strings work each other into a brilliant crescendo, before the squeaky baseline saunters with some edge toward the finish mark.
”Panic Room” – as would seem appropriate – is fraught with danger and unexpected twists and turns. Sidney Charles brings the record back to more tepid planes, with his initial minimal-inspired reworking unfurling at a pace that’s sure to ignite the floor. Expert stuff from the boys they call Piemont.
7/10
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