Seattle’s Pezzner has emerged as one of deeper house's most interesting and acclaimed producers of the last two years, impressing consistently with all manner of leftfield grooves for world leaders like Om Records, and Jimpster’s Freerange Recordings, who release this debut album
There’s no pissing about with an intro to speak of, instead Pezzner slams his twisted groove straight in the moment the album kicks off. Tracks ebb and flow beautifully through the LP, evolving like lovely little atmospheric journeys where sounds are invited to drop in as they please and for however little or long as they like. Witness the kooky sounds on the stomping groove that is the title track, the mesmerising xylophones on Philip (Parts 1 & 2), the quivering synths, manic pianos and bubbling bass of Balboa Park – it’s a skilfully-woven tapestry throughout. Three Out Of Five meanwhile.mixes crisp live percussion with dubby loops and swirling effects to create a push-me pull-me feel.
He’s not just about oddball grooving though, as some more emotive tracks on the album demonstrate. Find Me is quite simply stunning, dramatic and melancholy effort with Larissa Kapp’s yearning, chorused vocals and deep, rich emotion – somewhere between Rasmus Faber and Osunlade. His love of cinematic strings and orchestral sounds shines through brilliantly on Dewolfe and on the dainty, dreamy plodding of Almost Here Part 3, while Hunt & Gather is delightfully woozy and uneventful, a vintage synth cooing away 2-note melodies to create something very Third Ear Recordings. A beatless beauty soothes us into the end of the album in the form of Last Call.
It sounds like he’s slightly demented, but in a great, artistic way – y’know, like Picasso was or somesuch. I’m not suggesting that he’s of such a level of genius of course, more that there’s some kind of chaos in his head which somehow translates to a very captivating, quirky, and refreshing take on house music. This is one to keep going back to and to get to know intimately, and one that we are sure will emerge as one of the year’s very finest 4/4 albums.
Tracklist:
01. Three Out of Five
02. Find Me feat. Larissa Kapp
03. Chiuso Per Ferie
04. The Tracks Are Alive
05. Philip (Parts 1 & 2)
06. Balboa Park
07. Drones (Interlude)
08. Dewolfe
09. Blacklist
10. Tagschlaf (Interlude)
11. Almost Here Part 3
12. Hunt and Gather
13. Last Call