I am the first person who will readily admit that I am rarely disappointed by a producer's release, if that producer has found favor with me before. If I like you, it's hard to disappoint me, basically.
But unfortunately for Sebastien Leger, his last few releases on Mistakes Music have been, well, eh. "Bubbly/Discotechno" dropped last August, with the former track being a gauzy, rippling little tech house number that never really went anywhere, instead opting to spin circles around itself for a little over seven minutes, and the latter being a completely forgettable mess of bells, toms, and odd, wheezing vocal samples. "The Rhythm" dropped in November, and was a run-of-the-mill Leger cut; rhythmic, organic, but hardly interesting and lacked the crucial hook that many of Leger's best tracks carry. The Format:B remix on the flip was a slightly housier affair, shuffling and swaying drunkenly with some inflated synth riffs and the complete lack of anything abstractly rhythmic, which is half the draw of a Leger track! Finally, "Binola/The White Island" dropped a few days before Christmas, and both tracks were nearly the same: rhythmic, by this point kitschy with the goofy samples and effects Leger oft applies, and sputtering for anything memorable, which they failed to do, although "Island" brought an interesting melodic element that wasn't explored well enough to be anything but passingly interesting.
At this point in time, Leger released "Plik Plok" on SCI+TEC Audio, and once again, it was an exercise in minimal tech house with an eye for rhythm and percussive poignancy. It fell on deaf ears, at least for me. Sebastien Leger had become derivative of himself, producing basically the same track over and over again, and by now he couldn't really go any lower in my eyes. Keep in mine, none of the previously stated tracks are bad per se...they just lack the fresh, lush groove that Leger is known for.
Luckily, we're all but saved by his latest release on Mistakes: "Balkamaniac / Les Frelons". I'll be honest, at first glance, I gave these tracks the cold shoulder, shuffling them in with the other disappointments of 2009. But I was wrong to do so. Observe...
BALKAMANIAC: Now here's what a real Leger track sounds like. Rhythmic from the start, like all of his other productions. But here's the key element the others were missing: a hook. Admittedly, things chug along unfettered for a good few minutes, but then a twitchy, spastic acoustic guitar riff comes in, and things start to funk up a little bit. This is supposed to hint at the inevitable breakdown, and what a breakdown it is: vocal cues...RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRAHH!!!!!! A horn section, strings, guitars, this is Leger's tribute to the Balkans, in sound and spirit. It all pays off, and the breakdown is classic, glorious Leger, with a catchy-as-hell horn riff that plants itself in your brain and wraps beautifully around the lush percussive elements and raw sound of Leger's production. And at nearly nine minutes, the party's bound to happen again...
While no "Talisman", "Balkamaniac" succeeds with a palpably "party" vibe, excellent production that's always been present wed with a catchy, fun-loving hook that works wonders with the other instruments to create a funky, groovy tech house cut worthy for release on Mistakes Music. Kudos, Sebastien, what a return to form!!
(4/5)
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LES FRELONS: Don't forget that crucial B-side. Classic Leger releases always had a great B-side, and I can safely say that this is also a return to form, with the robotic, squelchy "Les Frelons" taking its place behind "Balkamaniac" on the flip.
This is what tech house sounds like underwater, and unlike previous Leger productions, this one is lacking in the effects/rhythm department. Just a little, though. Usually, Leger goes for a minimalistic maximalism, filling headspace with sparse effects, noises, bleeps, and all kinds of audio fauna to compliment his lush productions. "Les Frelons" is more straight-forward, a barreling, bubbling subtle stomper of a tech house cut that sounds like its being smothered under the weight of a water bed. The sound is reserved on the high end, saving that space for a good ol' cowbell, of all things. But it works. The warped, slithering synth is the highlight here, as you can never quite tell what it is or what its doing, but it anchors the track with a solid rhythm that does not need any additional backup like usual Leger tracks do. This one floats on its own, and it might not have a hook, but this is the camp of Leger cuts that don't need a damn hook. Good for a bridge between tracks in any set, and on its own, a top-tier rhythmic tech house showcase for its spasmodic, trance-like synth structure, and irresistibly danceable rhythm. Once again, Leger turns in a quality production. What a record this is!
(4/5)
At the end of the day, Leger is back on his form. His recently did BBC Radio One's Essential Mix for Pete Tong's radio show, which highlighted some upcoming Mistakes stuff, from Leger himself, Popof, and Lutzenkirchen, among others. The future looks promising for Mistakes Music/Leger, and despite a minor slump, things are back to normal. Highly recommend this release to anyone that wants to familiarize themselves with Leger's classic tech house sound.
Definite summer bangers, both of them.
"Balkamaniac/Les Frelons" = 4.5/5
Until next time...
-NL
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