- "It's a new sound from an old town / Funkineven makes your heart pound": the lyrics to Funkineven's latest let you know exactly what's on his mind—the chance to stand rooted in yesterday with his sights trained on tomorrow. Thankfully so: It's quite rewarding to hear a producer armed with old gear that is interested in the land beyond merely photocopying the classics. "Heart Pound" represents a step up in the production game from an artist whose last release not half a year ago, "She's Acid," was already well-executed and forward-thinking, stitching 303 tweak onto twitchy broken beats.
"Heart Pound" is more of a revved-up, vintage-tinged rager, bursting with a militaristic bombast of ratatatat claps, exploding crashes and stomping samples. True to its name, the tune offers enough heart-pounding that you could use it as a defibrillator. I'm not exactly sure which "old town" he's talking about—presumably Chicago, although by the sound of things it could be merely wherever it is that Jack calls home. In fact, it could just as well be West London, Funkineven's port of call.
B-side "Another Space" hits just as hard, maneuvering from Traxx-y house into early rave/hardcore territory. It's another dose of roided-up retro with analog instruments jacked up all twitchy and relentless, its tone menacing and sexual. The jackhammer cut-ups make it sound like the track's been inspired as much by strobe-induced seizures as by classic club tunes. Wisely, the record's been pressed on 45, giving vinyl players with slowed-down tastes the chance to work the spaces between all those acid tweaks and machine-gun beats. ("Another Space" in particular has a lot to offer when played, for example, pitched way up at 33.)
Tracklist A Heart Pound
B Another Space