Valencia’s Nacho Marco has an incredibly impressive back catalogue, with releases on brilliant labels including Freerange, Plastic City, Lazy Days, Ovum, We Play House and his own excellent Loudeast imprint too. Now added to the list is the irrepressible Chiwax, with his “The 909 Files” EP.
Each track is simply titled ‘File 1’ through to “File 4“, so let’s kick things off in the usual order. “File 1“ is a powerhouse of percussion and keys, with an almost Reese-esque bassline rumbling underneath. The weight of the kicks and the metronomic rattle of the rimshots thunders the track along, making this a very impressive opener.
“File 2″ slows the BPM down a few notches, the drums are again super-heavy (being from the 909, as the EP title gives away), but this time the keys take a softer approach, with glorious floating pads underpinning the mellow mood here. A wonderfully woozy closer to the A-side.
Flipping over for “File 3“ on the B-side, the 909 is joined by our old friend the M1 bassline, with clipped vox parts adding to the energy pulsing through the track. Swinging along in a fashion reminiscent of classics such as Kerri Chandler et’al, this is a superb straight-up warm house jam.
Rounding the EP off, “File 4’”is built around a stabby church organ riff which nags away throughout the track, the punchy percussion and tinkling chords coming together in a swirl of joyous depth for the dancefloor. The bassline chugs away with its neat bounce, echoing the thump of the unmistakable 909 kicks, closing the EP off in the style it maintains throughout, namely exquisite dancefloor-driven house music which has a real timeless quality.
Torture the Artist 