Mosca – The Wavey EP
3024
If a measure of success in electronic dance music is taken from who you know, then London-based producer Mosca already has the proverbial keys to the night-time castle. Night Slugs and Numbers are two imprints who’ve spent the last two years raising the benchmark to a teetering height for all fledgling, bass-loving, dancefloor-facing producers. If you’ve been touched by their hands at any stage, you know you’re probably doing something right, while dancers think you’re making music in close proximity to where the pulse of any rave capital lies. By adding Dutch producer Martyn’s 3024 scalp to his collection of label prizes, Mosca is fast becoming the beat itself.
‘The Wavey EP’’s emergence is somewhat of a surprise for a man not exactly known for a ball-busting work rate. Granted, it’s only been a month since the feisty garage units ‘Bax/Done Me Wrong’ bounced out on Numbers. But previous slabs such as ‘Square One’, his mutant garage roller, and a handful of productions and remixes make up for a slim track record when compared to other bass-loving peers. The sudden timing of this latest effort suggests, that while some of his rhythms have been slinking round clubs for a while now, he’s beginning to up the release-rate ante.
And thankfully this spurt of action marks no drop in quality — rather, these three shakers show the producer stretching his wings and pushing our hips into deeper and darker waters than before. The undercarriage still arrives fashioned by his love for all things garage, funky and house — but the meat of these tunes arrives carrying extra beef.
‘Dom Perignon’ pops, shimmies and satifyling shakes with sub bass over a piston-like sinew of a beat, reminiscent of the recent outings of his label boss Martyn. ‘Orange Jack’ is equally muscular, with a wooden chop for a beat and reverberating echoes smeared across its bare chest. ‘Jager’ is as rough as the monk-made potion which carries its name, and is certainly the hardest moment on the EP — this is heavyweight, yet light footed dancing tackle with a dangerous glint in its eyes. Mosca is still keeping his vibe locked to the club’s sticky floor, but with a new rudeness between his teeth. If you want to know where electronic music is heading, and whose aural flex to bite to remain ahead of the curve, then ‘The Wavey EP’ should be your first port of call. Jim Ottewill
