- Hamilton, Ontario's population of 500,000 has produced an unusual number of cutting-edge musicians: Junior Boys' Jeremy Greenspan and Matt Didemus, Jessy Lanza, Taraval and Kara-Lis Coverdale. Considering Greenspan and Taraval have known each other for 20 years and move in the musical network around Dan Snaith (who's from a town just outside of Hamilton), this collaboration feels inevitable. The pair approach dance music from different angles, and Greenspan And Taraval aligns with Greenspan's kosmische techno for Snaith's Jiaolong label rather than Taraval's big-room house on Text. The tracks are expertly engineered and full of juicy vintage synths. (The press release even includes a gear list.) In some of the EP's most satisfying moments, the duo simply bask in the rich panorama.
"Earthly Delights" is a rich nine minutes worthy of the duo's stated influences, JD Emmanuel and Cluster. Two other names dropped are Pearson Sound and Actress, and the pair's avant-techno side shows on "Hold Time For A Day," an unsettling combination of twitchy drums and dissonant synth tones. "Be Last" is a straighter techno assemblage of sputtering synth parts and a laser-precise high-end. Both tracks are slick except for their structure—the whole EP was edited from longer hardware jams, and, in these cases, their wandering tendency doesn't suit the material.
Highlights come when the duo bring their two sides—kosmische lushness, sci-fi spark—into delicate balance. "Follow The Moonlight" is a bubbly groove zinging with clever detail. Best of all, "Daff"'s jittery dance floor energy is slowly tamed by bursts of soothing chord until it's a peaceful prayer to the god of vintage hardware.
TracklistA1 Earthly Delights
A2 Hold Time For A Day
B1 Follow The Moonlight
B2 Be Last
B3 Daff