Manoo and Francois A: Today Is Tomorrow EP
Buzzin' Fly

Spencer Parker: The Beginning
Buzzin' Fly

Manoo and Francois A (Emmanuel Kossi and François Aymonier) have been issuing personalized takes on deep house for Buzzin' Fly since their 2004 debut. Once again merging Kossi's crisp beat programming with Aymonier's radiant keyboard melodies, the duo's latest EP offers sixteen fresh minutes of sun-kissed body music. A syncopated chord repetition and kick drum gets the A side's “Today Is Tomorrow” moving, after which the duo builds tension with the incremental layering of the track's exotic theme, claps, crushing percussive stabs, burbling keyboards, and sizzling hi-hats. Manoo and Francois A take full advantage of the cut's full nine-minute duration to climb the mountain to its peak, and then halfway through drop everything to undertake the ascent all over again. The climax is as epic as one would expect, with the elements eventually coalescing into a delirious whole before the tension rather abruptly dissipates. The B side's “Souvenir” opts for a suave, low-riding deep house vibe that's a little less frenetic than its counterpart yet sparkles and shimmers effervescently nonetheless. Sweetened with silken synth washes and piano soloing, the summery cut is the kind of graceful house treatment that single-handedly evokes the intoxicating splendor of a late-night Ibiza club visit.

Rekids' devotees hungry for more of Spencer Parker's work after the recent Rekids Revolution set (its third disc devoted to Parker's mix) should turn their attention to the now-Berlin-based DJ-producer's latest jam on Buzzin' Fly. Though they'll get only one Parker original, they'll also get a pair of frothy, top-quality remixes to make up for it. “The Beginning” bursts from the gate with a thumping kick drum thump and cracking snare with sizzling hi-hats and house-flavoured chords following moments after. The track's snappy, piano-laced groove (the piano part courtesy of Francois A) and overall jubilant swing prove irresistible, and the insistent synth accent that hoots in the background only adds to the tune's charm. Michel Cleis's jazzy remix pumps from the get-go, with the original's piano riff and metallic congas helping to stoke a dizzying tribal churn that grows ever more feverish. Retreating from the Latin vibe of Cleis's version, Affkt and Danny Fiddo re-shape the original into an aerodynamic deep house banger punctuated by live drum soloing and propelled by a royally decimating groove. In this EP highpoint, the tune chugs rapturously for nearly eight minutes, but in a perfect world it would never end.

July 2009