- Rod Modell's connection with Soma Records, which began in 2011 with his Deepchord LP Hash-Bar Loops, continues to bear fruit. The UK label has since put out a wide-ranging selection of Deepchord releases, including last fall's album 20 Electrostatic Soundfields. That one might have been a relatively rough listen—it featured a more experimental approach with lots of intriguing but often very short beat-less passages—but Modell fluidly turned back towards the project's trademark techno-ish hypnosis, first with Prana/Tantra from November and now with another two-tracker, Luxury.
"Luxury 1" and "Luxury 2" are both more than ten minutes long, and lock into silky-smooth shuffles—with a muffled kick and similarly restrained percussive elements all stirred into a cloud of noise—that should be instantly recognizable to Deepchord fans. "Luxury 1," with its hazily evocative synth melody and echoed vocal laments, sounds nearly aquatic. "Luxury 2" has more of an urban feel, recalling the joyful bustle of a city street early on a Saturday night thanks to a dubwise vamp on keys, a shimmering ping and a collection of chaotic found-sounds. Personally I'll take "2" over "1," but either way Luxury is another fine addition to a production profile that rarely swings and misses.
TracklistA Luxury 1
B Luxury 2