Slepak: Spirits
Elektrotribe

New York producer, DJ, and Animaltek member Oleg Slepak weighs in with his debut EP under the name Slepak. A veteran of Wir, Treibstoff, Thoughtless Music, and other labels, the classically-trained Slepak offers a fresh fusion of minimal techno and acoustic jazz on the EP's two warm tracks. The nearly-ten-minute “Spirits” begins as a sputtering techno-funk stepper but then slowly turns jazzier when Slepak layers fluttering vibes cascades overtop the track's locomotive pulse—a smooth ride and a scenic trip. He opens the nine-minute “Reggs” by spiking a rubbery, two-tone rhythm with jacking claps and a deliciously burbling bass line before folding in off-beat stabs that give the track a percolating funk-jazz feel and eventually riding the tune out to its dizzying conclusion. Though hardly barn-burning, Slepak's material is satisfying in its rather cavalier, laid-back style.

March 2009