There is something ever so definitely hazy and sun-dappled about the music coming out of Canada at the moment, a country where the cannabis regulations are almost as relaxed as the music. With Montréal based Mac Demarco taking the underground indie scene by storm and Vancouver’s Mood Hut developing into one the coolest dance labels going, this really is a golden period for the North Americans.
ASL Singles Club, run by Project Pablo and Chef, might have made less noise than Mood Hut recently, but is up there with Canada’s best house imprints. For their next release with Infamous Boogieman, they take a step back from a catalogue of R&B sampled house music, and move further towards a refined 90’s sound. The Brooklyn producer delivers his debut on the imprint with the psychedelic touch that has become emblematic of that Canadian Riviera sound. A lo-fi feel washes over the swooning pads, but unmistakably funky drum programming keeps the track from spinning off into the unknown.
‘Revenge Tactics’ could easily be taken straight off Grand Theft Auto, with rock ‘n’ roll style metallic drums smoothed over by plenty of hollow reverb. The background guitar wanders around the groove, delighting in its lack of direction and instantly recalling days aimlessly roaming up and down the beach in a convertible sports classic. As if ‘Revenge Tactics’ wasn’t Balearic enough, it chugs along at a leisurely 85 bpm, taking brief breaks to let the muffled guitar flourish before swinging back into the plodding bass groove.
Infamous Boogieman’s Boogieman EP is out 17th March ASL Singles Club. Pre-order from Bandcamp.
