If the release of his sophomore long-player ‘Talk From Home‘ made for the crowing achievement of a strong series of ambient-leaning efforts, LA-based producer Diego Herrera aka Suzanne Kraft just made a winning comeback via Stuttgart’s year-old Kitjen with a contrasting instalment, this time delving into a bright palette of rope-jumping house and chimey electro.
Quite interesting indeed to see the Pharaohs and Blasé staple exploring floor-contiguous beats and tropes, not giving up on the serene poise of his previous instalments but dovetailing it within a club-ready frame. The title-track‘s intro sees Herrera fling sizzling bass slivers and metallic shards like boomerangs, progressively inlaying a curvy synth melody that makes all the difference here – softly sputtering like a birthday cake candle’s flame that bends but refuses to extinguish.
"Difficult not to marvel at his capacity to essentialise without adulterating, synthesise without compromising."
The range is subtle and richly-hued as is customary with Suzanne Kraft, and even the less frontally melody-driven ‘Burn Me Down‘ doesn’t has him straying too far from his comfort zone. More syncopated, the track provides an extended view of what the LA-based producer is capable of – serving up a concoction of quirky drum patterns and mangled groove draped in a stripped-back sound design. Difficult not to marvel at his capacity to essentialise without adulterating, synthesise without compromising.
The closing cut ‘Skype‘ takes the EP back to unhindered skylines, drenching its synth notes into a luminescent bath of downtempo house and mesmeric ambientisms. Penetrating percussions mirror and interlace as the pads scud over in slow-motion – porcelain-frail arpeggios driving your stare to further uplands. Be it through soothing atmospheric panoramas or tight-strapped floor-apt beats, the inch-perfect adroitness of Herrera in both the arrangement layering and textural carving will sure leave a memorable mark.
DJ Safety Track is out now, order a vinyl copy from Juno.
- Read our track premiere for “DJ Saftey Track”.
- “DJ Saftey Track” featured in “Best Releases: March 2016” – read it here.
TRACKLIST
A DJ Safety
B1 Burn Me Down
B2 Skype
Discover more about Suzanne Kraft and Kitjen on Inverted Audio.