Brennan is having quite the run. With recent and forthcoming appearances across Goodtunes, Studiotek, Fluff Records, SHIBUI and Amores Records, alongside the attention surrounding his work on Dubble, George Brennan has been steadily carving out his own corner of contemporary Tech House. His productions look backwards without getting stuck there, pulling tribal percussion, dub weight and the loose physicality of old-school club records into something made very much for today’s dancefloors. That trajectory now brings him to London imprint SHIBUI for its second 12″, Forged Dubs — four cuts steeped in exactly that old-school spirit. Sitting on the A2, “Two To Tango” wastes little time showing why Brennan’s records are currently travelling so far.
“Two To Tango” rolls forward with the kind of bassline that immediately puts the body to work. Tribalistic percussion gathers around it, dubby textures linger in the spaces between, and sparse Grime vocals add flashes of attitude without ever becoming the centre of attention. Brennan keeps things deliberately lean, allowing rhythm to carry the conversation. A first break loosens the grip just enough for a percussive intermezzo to take over, shifting the focus from low-end pressure towards drums and movement before the groove quietly begins assembling itself again.
But Brennan has another turn waiting. A larger breakdown gradually clears the room, stretching the tension further and leaving just enough space for anticipation to creep in before “Two To Tango” comes crashing back with considerably more weight. The impact works precisely because everything before it has been so controlled: dub, percussion, bass and vocal fragments have spent the track circling one another before finally converging. Tribal, techy and wonderfully functional without becoming predictable, it’s the sort of record that can keep a dancefloor rolling while still creating a moment of its own. Sometimes it really does take two to tango — although in this case, a packed room will do just fine.
Words by Holger Breuer
Torture the Artist 