- A new player in the ongoing resurgence of minimal house, Vera and Alexandra's Melliflow label is only three records deep but it's already approaching buy-on-sight status. They release the kind of music that its founders play out: subtle, swinging and fun. Andrea La Pietra, a regular DJ at the YAY parties in Italy, is an ideal artist for Melliflow. His first release on the Berlin label—and his production debut—is a hefty double-EP that presents eight variations on his breezy formula.
Despite its haughty title, Perception Of Objective Reality gets right down to funky business with "Low Connection," a robust but whimsical track with a bouncy bassline. The rhythms become even more buoyant on "15 Ways To Make A Track." It feels like every tune is on a mission to out-swing the last, culminating in the woozy "Monday To Sunday," which has a tumbling synth lead that sounds like it's constantly tripping over the track. Most of Pietra's tunes are built on motifs that repeat for five or six minutes, but they hardly feel loopy. The incredible drum programming on "Bubble Motion" seems to shift every few bars, trading its rigidness for spontaneity.
Full of bleepy computer noises and playful synth melodies, Pietra's music can be as endearing as it is distracting. On most of Perception Of Objective Reality, the mix of jazzy syncopation and cheerful synths is enjoyable, but on the hip-hop-indebted "Tape Rewind," the incessant vinyl scratching turns from good-natured homage into groan-worthy gimmick. But it's the mark of a producer who isn't afraid to go out on a limb, to write tunes that are personal as well as functional. That's what makes the EP such a welcome debut, as well as another hit in Melliflow's hot streak.
TracklistA1 Low Connection
A2 15 Ways To Make A Track
B1 Microcosm
B2 Monday To Sunday
C1 Why On Earth
C2 Bubble Motion
D1 Tape Rewind
D2 Mutual Attraction