Governmentfun: Hours EP
none60
Silent Dust's none60 exits 2021 with a final EP, this one a strong twenty-three-minute label debut from Governmentfun. No artist-related info is available; we can report, however, that the artist hails from Glasgow and is, given the abundance of music posted at Governmentfun's Bandcamp page, prolific. While none60 has issued drum'n'bass material before, nothing on Hours falls into that category.
Twinkly arpeggiators and a muscular beat pattern usher in the title cut, after which the mystery deepens with the addition of a foreboding bass presence and billowing synth atmospherics. Considerably more than a one-note run-on groove, the cut includes two breakdowns to punch up the drama and tension-and-release. A tad less intense is “Just Because,” which like the opener works a subtle retro vibe into the arrangement in its old-school synth timbres and syncopated swing. There's nothing dated about the EP's material, however, even if it sometimes oozes an old-school vibe. “Magma” cools the pace for a wistful reverie whose swoon's tailor-made for the listening lounge, though the cut gains in heft as its slinky pulse turns heavier. Bringing up the rear is “Answer,” which pushes the reverie idea further in omitting beats altogether and instead favouring a Vangelis-styled excursion conducive to meditation. If Governmentfun's EP more calls Boards of Canada to mind than Klute, that hardly qualifies as a knock against it.December 2021