YouTube record label Tape Archive‘s first forays into the vinyl world were dry-as-a-bone. House music baked in the sun, constructed from hi-hats that sounded ready to shatter into dust on the next hit and melodic elements that moved as if just about powered by throbbing abused muscles. Their next release, ‘Godspeed Dancefloor‘ by Views, is a significant shift in aesthetic, bringing to mind the early works of the Plaid/The Black Dog crossover period.
The A-side dishes out a pair of tracks angled towards the dancefloor. Leading with “Modern Life (UMH Mix)”, it is an uplifting soundtrack for a frozen pastel sunrise. Every texture that is added to the emphatic pads hits you like drawing a cool breath of air into your lungs, while the hi-hats crack across the mix like thin fractal ice. Moving on, it is the title track itself that will get you rewinding for repeat plays.
The EP motif of dreamy undulating textures is present, this time driven on by an urgent bassline. Two minutes in and the rug is whipped away with a natty FM hook straight out of the Autechre playbook. Everything breaks down for a moment, devastatingly so, before switching back to the driving bass and beats.
"Godspeed Dancefloor is a significant shift in aesthetic, bringing to mind the early works of the Plaid/The Black Dog crossover period."
These little handovers in the track are sublime and poignant but, if you’re anything like me, you’ll find yourself going right back to the start just to experience that first drop one more time. You’ll never experience that virgin moment of surprise quite the same again but emotion will well up each time, guaranteed.
Flipping over to the B-side, the release starts to err even further towards the sound of early-doors Warp IDM. “Found” has that Plaid knack of taking the emotion of a reprise and spinning out over a full track, cradling you from bliss to a scattered and frantic closing stretch. Pick of the side “Itdo“ has a creepy and intangible ambience being buffeted by tumbling toms, the juxtaposition of the physical and the ethereal pausing the Earth for the six and a half minute journey.
Closing off, ‘Sadsun‘ ramps a phaser right up to its most spacial extremities, letting the ambient elements snake around while small peals of percussion rumble as thunder on the horizon. ‘Godspeed Dancefloor‘ is infectious. From the off, it is pure dopamine and far from an MSG laden guilty indulgence. January has been dry in many regards but we have the first big hitter of the year right here. Don’t let it slip under your radar.
‘Godspeed Dancefloor’ is scheduled for release 27th March, order a copy via Juno.
TRACKLIST
1. Modern Life (UMH mix)
2. Godspeed Dancefloor
3. Found
4. ITDO
5. SADSUN
Discover more about Tape Archive on Inverted Audio