Alejandro Rodrigues puts out under the name of Kresy. You’re about to say hello to his debut turn for Hivern Discs. Lords of Percussion is emphatically titled; the track is a total surrender, cavernous kick thuds and paper bag percussion that quickly make way for dark galloping melodies, a synth march coming on like a glorious waltzing headache. The hi-hats come freshly opened, spritzing and venomously seductive.
Synth rushes skew and slide like broken mirages, evoking fleeting glimpses of sunlight that gradually fade into shadows. In the darkness lies a demented choral tug that eventually rocks into a tenebrous cascading melody. The handclaps are broken furtive messes, perfect little dancers to bring out a sunken bass groove. Tracks like this never peter out, all they do is vanish unannounced into the night.
Kresy has cropped up before on the ‘Hivern a l’Estiu II’ compilation; ‘Many Men’ was his dynamic deep-house contribution, sitting snugly alongside choice cuts from the likes of Pettre and Aster. Only right that one of those alumni steps up to the plate for this new release. Aster stretches out the tension in his directly monikored ‘Lots of Percussion mix’, a slinky depiction where the bass contorts and thrives in not quite the same demented manner.
The version from Jacob Korn deploys a similar bass tactic to divert. He retains the glorious tiptoe synth of the original and builds a new whole around the beautiful slivers, segueing in some classic piano struts that slowly turn vital: a fresh cog well-oiled for dancefloors all over.
Holding Space sees another sterling effort from Alejandro, pivoting around keyboards of a deft sharpness that operate on a higher octave level. If you weren’t sure before why John Talabot counts Kresy as part of the familia, one listen to this should set that right. It wouldn’t feel out of place on fin, bestowed with the same epic tension and molten panache. The future for Hivern Discs is bright as you like, forthcoming releases for Aster and Mistakes are okay will have the party going long after the sun goes down.