- While European dance music has no trouble taking itself seriously, its American equivalent has a proclivity for shits and giggles. Needless to say, house and techno enjoy much less widespread popularity over here, and when it comes to making hipsters and rock kids dance, irony is almost as important as booze. Trendy acts like Spank Rock, Girl Talk, and LCD Soundsystem are more then willing to goof around, and sometimes house and techno artists like to join in on the fun. The Dirty Bird Crew tend to be a bit wackier than their European counterparts (as the Martin Brothers recent Rocket Surgery EP demonstrates). And let's not forget Jay Haze, who couldn't resist the locker room appeal of a little porn routine known as "Ass to Mouth." Maetrik's Space Chronic EP is another case in point. By adorning the cover with dank nugz and creating a hook out of the line "I want to have sex with bass," this Dallas based producer has fallen into step with his compatriots, and quite lamely so.
Much like "Choose Your System," the A-side from Maetrik's last release, "Sex With Bass" is a half decent tech-house ditty spoiled by a pathetic vocal line. The bass kicks hard, the textures are polished, and a handful of short breaks keep things fresh from start to finish, but it would take far more dazzling production to salvage this track. It's impossible not to think of Mark Houle when you hear those vocals pitched down so low, and the lyrics are asinine beyond the point of redemption.
Things improve slightly with "Stab Jockey." The same thick drums and glistening trim from "Sex With Bass" stick around for this one, and jive nicely with a mean acid synth line. It could keep a party moving, but certainly won't arouse any train-spotting. On the B-side, "Crawl Machine" is a run-of-the-mill DJ tool that struggles to draw attention to itself, despite its smooth and heavy beat. On each of the three tracks, Maetrik's ear for production shows, but on this EP his blend of rambunctious party vibes and minimal sound textures ends up tasting like ice cream on pizza.
TracklistA1 Sex With Bass
A2 Stab Jockey
B1 Crawl Machine