- Nick León's Future Times debut makes odd and wonderful shapes by fusing reggaeton and electro.
- Although it's been nearly a decade since "outsider house" was on the tip of everyone's tongue, it's impressive how many of the labels and producers from that genre-that-never-was still put out exciting and innovative records, from Huerco S. to The Trilogy Tapes. Of that cohort, Andrew Field-Pickering's Future Times label has remained one of the most relevant by cultivating an approach that feels both punkish (with a DIY ethos) and accessible ("Boulevard International" could turn out a Bar Mitzvah as easily as a Dekmantel Selectors stage). "Igneous Drums," from Nick León's debut for the label, captures this perfectly. Not much more than a reggaeton riddim that moves in fits and starts, we get that Future Times swag from what sounds like a didgeridoo pitched low in the mix. León's FT060 EP is full of moments like this, as the Miami producer blends reggaeton, electro, and techno into drunken rhythms and wonky melodies.
The A-side is particularly fun. "Blue Data" shares a rhythmic delirium with the opener and adds León's knack for weird, delightful melodies as a bubbling aquatic synth dances over some chords that have a sci-fi Western flavor, like they've been yanked from a 2121 episode of Prairie Home Companion. On the flip, León puts more familiar templates through the looking glass. His collaboration with Greg Beato starts like a techno track, but when its stuttering snare enters it all disintegrates into a skeletal riddim. The melancholy electro of "Gum Tree"slinks along like something you might hear on a label like Die Orakel - think forlorn pads over muscular, machine drums - but León finishes the track with some Miami Vice sleaziness via a faint Rhodes solo. Future Times have always been at their best when they are pushing boundaries and León's FT060 EP carries that torch with a reggaeton bravado.
Tracklist01. Igneous Drums
02. Blue Data
03. Scavenger Hunt
04. Gum Tree
05. Sewer System feat. Greg Beato