[i:Vibes] Fragile White - Cold Autumn/Dub Control [Morrison Recordings]

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Fragile White - Cold Autumn/Dub Control [Morrison Recordings]

13:57 - April 22, 2006

by MTG

Fragile White comprises two lads from Russia by the names of Evgeny Svalov & Anton Guzev. They have been more known to release music on labels such as Baroque and Method, under the 4Mal pseudonym. Here we've taken them at their dubbed out, chilled-back phases in their music and the result is simply astonishing.

Cold Autumn has been on several compilations now, as well as DVD's, most notably on a Fitter is Faster Yoga DVD in the United States that sold over 230,000 copies in its first week. Dub Control on the flip is equally amazing, and has an extremely deep baseline that will play out at the strongest after-hours nights in the world. If downtempo and deep chilled out dub house is your thing you would be a fool to miss out on this lovely EP. Top notch work here.

Fragile White – Cold Autumn

This track starts off with very subdued and relaxing synths plus an instantly captivating percussion pattern. After the intro subsides, a thick bassline is layered over the outstanding drums that have a distinct, crackly vinyl feel to them. The tempo is around 100 beats per minute, giving the track a great loungey feel. The extremely creative drum patterns are reminiscent of early DJ Shadow albums. An organic, fresh guitar melody is played while the drums continue switch up patterns. A discrete Rhodes piano melody also plays in the background, layering perfectly with a saxophone that is added around the 2:30 mark. The production quality of the track is undeniably high; every element is so well mastered and layered. “Cold Autumn” doesn’t use the same instrument for more than a couple phrases which keeps the track constantly interesting and moving. The percussion work is especially outstanding, and is so varied it sounds more live than perfectly drum computed. The melancholy guitar returns in the final phrase of the track, complimented nicely by the atmospheric synths. The track has a nice drum outro to make it mixable. My only criticism is that the track never really settles into a groove and is more of a jam session. Ironically, this is a quality I also like about the track because it is a nice change from the sometimes mundane repetition of a lot of electronic music. 8.5/10

Fragile White – Dub Control

Dub Control is a four to the floor, deep house track that retains many of the properties of “Cold Autumn.” The crackly vinyl feel and eerie synths are still there, but take on a new meaning when combined with the repetitive and infectious drums. The first two minutes layer on new elements every couple of phrases until a brief break at 2:45 when the track starts to take create a dubby atmospheric feel that is sure to warm up any dancefloor nicely. The track is minimal and techy, but manages to remain provocative and interesting, similar to Chris Fortier Balance 007 compilation. Nevertheless, it is hard to manage playing this track out without layering some additional percussion or melodic elements, just to keep the crowd interested. The last two minutes could probably have been deleted, but on the other hand I could see that extra time going down well in a heavily “influenced” environment. 8/10

Conclusion:
Morrison Recordings is fast becoming one of the top sources for distinctive and fresh progressive house. However, its consistent string of groundbreaking downtempo music is giving the label a unique identity that is sure to gain more and more recognition.