- This solo EP from Circle Traps member Will Ward is the second in Leisure System's 2015 GRIDLOCK series of dance floor-focused EPs, after JoeFarr's Longanimity. The three tracks are certainly floor-focused, though never at the expense of artfulness. On the face of it, each one performs a fairly simple trick: surrounding thumping kicks with window dressing that's skewed, beautiful, or sometimes both. But Ward takes this premise in multiple directions, making all three cuts equally worthwhile explorations of a theme.
From the moment opener "Digital Design" begins creaking its way into life like an abstract sound-design piece, it's clear that Interval One won't just be dunderheaded warehouse jams. When the kick drum finally appears, its surrounding abstractions become even more vivid. "Portion," which was made in collaboration with Circle Traps member Jack Wylie, is a straightforward (and excellent) mix of brutality and beauty. A dense fog of acidic pads surrounds steel-toed kicks and serrated keys to create the EP's most striking moment. The title track spreads '90s rave synths and simmering clicks and snares over a thudding percussive spine. Its hard house-style snare rolls will be too much for some, but as with most things here, Ward carries it off with self-assurance and no small amount of glee.
TracklistA1 Digital Design
A2 Portion feat. Jack Wyllie
B1 Interval One