- After catching the attention of minimal house lovers with his first Cadenza 12-inch, Petre Inspirescu (AKA Pedro) emerged as a producer to watch in 2007. His latest project is a two-track EP for his own [a:rpia:r] label that is sure to please fans of Ricardo Villalobos, Luciano and Thomas Melchior.
The A-side, "Fiare," makes great use of syncopation, pitting his claps and whippy hi-hats against a deep subtle bass line. Halfway through, we hear some DBX influenced bleeps and tweaks that make this up-tempo track playful and catchy yet still complex and challenging. It would be perfect, in fact, if it weren't for the overuse of the shaman-like vocal. Some self-editing would have helped, as dropping that sample every other measure detracts from an otherwise brilliant arrangement. "Fiare" is more than 11 minutes long, but contains subtle changes in its detailed percussion and arrangement that make it an excellent DJ tool if it were mixed with an equally lengthy track.
On the flip, "Sub Salcie" is definitely suited more for an after-hours setting than a club. It sounds more like The Beta Band than a techno producer. Inspirescu begins with a long introduction that features nothing more than a pitched down acoustic guitar riff set against a simple kick and some whistles. That same melody loops throughout the entire track with subtle variation, and after several minutes, Inspirescu adds some simple claps and some atonal washes of synths with sparse twinkling.
Without a doubt, Petre Inspirescu's talent is worthy of the hype he and his Romanian partners Rhadoo and Raresh have received over the last year. DJs may shy away from buying this release, as it isn't exactly made for peak-hour sets, and tiptoes into more experimental territory. Seeing a producer taking risks so early in his career, however, is definitely something to be applauded.
TracklistA Fiare
B Sub Salcie