Robot Music

2009, Mule Electronic.  Back again on the Mule imprint, this 4-track EP by minimal/deep house favorite, Lawrence, finds him in top form.  It’s sublime deep house and chill this time, in a more immediate and engaging presentation than some of his recent releases on Dial and Liebe Detail.

The title track is a beautiful piece of laid-back deep house with sweet string pads and an almost ambient feel, were it not for the slight house beat pinning the track down.  The melodic elements are strong enough to stand on their own, as is evidenced by the reprise of “Jill” which all but dispenses with the beat and plays up the melancholy of strings and ambience.

Continuing in the same sad, pretty house music vein, albeit more uptempo, “Hamtramck” provides more of an incentive to put down your cup of tea and, perhaps, move your feet a bit.  A couple of catchy, simple synth hooks lay in a gauzy bed of pads and ambience, keeping your attention and softening the house beat that ticks on behind all of the melody.

Back in chill mode, the beatless “Sunrise” further explores the melancholic themes of the rest of the ep.  With a heavily reverbed bell-like synth melody and plenty of pulsing string pads and delicate ambience, it’s a beautiful piece that works as well closing out this EP as it might a late-night deep house set.

Chill and beatless or housey, the common thread in this EP is lush, gorgeous melody.  The beats, where they are included, are almost an aside to the sad, cinematic quality of the music.  Of course in tracks like Hamtramck, the beats are an welcome complement to what Lawrence does so well on this EP.  -RM

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