I’ve been waiting on this. After a grip of remixes and compilation appearances, Seattle producer, Alex Osuch, (DJAO) has finally put together his debut self-titled long-player. Following last month’s premiere of “Depressing Jog Ends Well,” the Dropping Gems label has —uh— dropped “Basement.” Gem! While the former track highlighted glitchy characteristics reminiscent of their backlog of remixes, “Basement” perfectly blends a soft bed of wandering guitar and drowned percussion under Osuch’s own emotive vocal bellows.
Strange how it all fits together so well. On one hand, I’m hearing all of these dance floor cues (sputtering hi-hats, bass thumps, and that clap track), but the whisper of guitar has me thinking of “Do You Know Who You Are?” Hear me out. If all those 90’s “emo” (…) bands were responsible for replacing the rowdiness of rock music with a head-bobbing contemplation, “Basement” achieves the same effect with house music. All of its sweaty, ecstatic signifiers are there, but turned inside out to reveal what lies beneath the shallowness of the skin.
Listen to it below. Can you imagine someone really getting down on the dance floor to this? More likely, it’s got you getting down on your life, reminding you of some sad shit, like missing the Pacific Northwest as fall approaches here in the Heartland, or finally feeling the loneliness of your own one-bedroom apartment. But it’s a necessary balance. After all, we can’t just listen to PC Music all day, now can we?
Pre-orders for DJAO are available over at the Dropping Gems Bandcamp page. The limited edition cassette drops October 28.
• DJAO: https://soundcloud.com/d-j-a-o
• Dropping Gems: http://www.droppinggems.com
