Noah Pred: Lost in Pockets
Thoughtless

Repair: Still Standing Severely Damaged
Thoughtless

With more than a decade of electronic music-making under their belts, it's no surprise that the latest material by the Toronto-based Thibideau brothers sounds polished. This five-tracker for Thoughtless pairs two sleek originals with remixes by Cologne residents Falko Brocksieper and René Breitbarth and Torontonian Noah Pred. The originals, “The Model B Chassis” and “Still Standing Severely Damaged,” are dynamic, driving cuts that exude that elegant and vibrant Motor City vibe, with both animated by burbling tech-house grooves and punctuated by synth washes, slamming snares, and swinging hi-hats.

Breitbarth gives “Still Standing Severely Damaged” a slinky, late-night house makeover while Brocksieper turns “The Model B Chassis” into an ultra-grooving, acid-tinged stormer that's sick in the best sense of the word. As strong as they are, Pred's version is indubitably the EP's peak moment. In his hands, “The Model B Chassis” becomes an incessantly chattering and irresistibly funky dynamo—nine minutes of sheer genius. If there's any justice, Pred's track deserves to be incinerating dance floors everywhere.

Speaking of which, Lost In Pockets presents an immaculate set of fresh Pred material with a remix from Dumb-Unit founder Jeremy P. Caulfield sweetening the deal. Swinging funk rhythms, intricate melodic patterns, and twisted synth flares help turn “Far From Lost” into a slinky tech-house monster. Staccato flourishes ping over grooving late-night house pulses in “Get Cozy” as a slurred male voice murmurs the title chant into your ear. Pred hauls out the heavy bass artillery for the bubbly, synth-drenched swing of “Hot Pockets” after which Caulfield's “Swzlstk” remix lassoes the groove and tightens it into a mechano strut. Anything but hastily thrown together, Pred's compositions are maximal marvels of construction that, at the same time, never sound over-worked.

February 2008