- Experimentation is often a sign of confidence. When things aren't going well, falling back into well-worn grooves is understandable. But when you're knocking it out of the park, as William Kouam Djoko has been with recent singles on Leftroom and Rush Hour, it's perhaps tempting to step outside your comfort zone and fashion a bongo-riddled footwork stomper.
Inspired by what the press release describes as a "divine moment" watching DJs Rashad and Spinn, "Deflourished" is a slow-burner riddled with African rhythms atop a half-step beat. It lacks the freneticism of its influences, though, opting instead for something more subdued. That's understandable from a producer better known for elegiac house tracks, but it results in a rhythm that only lifts in moments thanks to the odd flourish—an 808 sub that clambers up the octaves or a sudden sizzle of hi-hats.
"Behind Closed Doors" is a straightforward Dutch house jam infused with vinyl crackle and percussion that sounds so grimy it might have been dredged out of the river Amstel. Though not particularly attention-grabbing, it will probably find a second life once the house DJs that picked up "Deflourished" give up trying to crowbar in footwork where it doesn't quite fit.
TracklistA Deflourished
B Behind Closed Doors