Craig McWhinney / Heavy Stemmed EP
LP
Melbourne Deepcast / Released April 2012
What does it sound like?
Two slices of house music that are heavy enough to challenge the likes of Perc for a solid drum-off. The opener and title track may have some questioning our genre judgement as machine like rhythms kick us off, but we haven’t lost our minds; it’s not long before the warmer reversed out synths move in, making that description more appropriate.
Like Mr G’s earlier work (only a decade or so on and with far more bass music influence) here Mr McWhinney manages to create beautiful repetitions by dropping vocal loops and drum patterns either side of off-beat kicks, creating something that’s poised to launch into a more driving workout with little effort required- a DJ friendly track, if you will.
In contrast Flow keeps things more propellant, though still purposefully juddery and awkward as drums lunge and retract, whilst more of those filtered harmonies spiral atop, welcoming a cacophony of cymbals and metallic noises but also remaining firmly placed in the positive vibe camp. Alongside the originals the first cut is given two decent remixes from Weekend Express and Mic Newman, who respectively opt for peak time techy deepness and bass heavy interpretations.
What highlights can I expect to hear?
Both McWhinney’s efforts are great, though for us Heavy Stemmed steals first prize. As for the re-edits, hats off to Weekend Express for doing big without being overtly cheesy.
Where can I buy it?
Wherever you can find it…
