- There are a couple ways of looking at the music Charlotte De Witte makes. Viewed from one angle, it's a simple, effective take on big-room techno; viewed from another, it's a sound with little originality. Whatever you think about this (and the many other releases in this style), techno this stripped-back tends to sink or swim based on small details—the placement of a hit-hat, the choice of the kick drum. On the Closer EP for the Dutch label Mary Go Wild Black, De Witte makes some decent decisions, and winds up with one of the stronger releases of her relatively short career.
The vocal refrain on "Closer" could seem a little trite, but it's the sort of flourish that'll mark it out among similarly styled tracks, especially on the big European dance floors she plays to these days. The primitive acid line that plays off against the kick drum only seals the deal. "Nothing" uses almost identical elements, but it feels like a less distinctive version of the title track. "Motion" has the EP's only clear melody, a sombre pad that works nicely in tandem with an indecipherable voice in the background. De Witte allows the pad to fade from view around halfway, leaving the heaving drums and bassline to gallop towards the track's finish line.
TracklistA1 Closer
B1 Nothing
B2 Motion