First Word Records

As summer fades and the days get shorter, Souleance have been hard at work in the kitchen cooking up their new EP 'Tartare'. The French production duo of Fulgeance (Ed Banger / Musique Large) and Soulist (What The Funk? / The P Show) have delivered another EP of surefire party starters, taking the sample-heavy template of previous releases, and adding a deeper disco-house edge to stunning effect. The 8-track EP opens with 'Hustle' - a clear statement of intent from Souleance - the shuffling synth-heavy percussion signposting the slight shift in direction, but with it's sights aimed firmly at the dance floor. The track also features regular video collaborator Emile Sacre on keys and vocoder, this time in his music production guise as VECT. Many of you will be familiar with 'Secoue' (released earlier this summer as a digital only single). The Kompa-influenced track has become a DJ's favourite over the festival season and is now finally available on vinyl. Elsewhere 'Ratatouille' starts in more conventional Souleance territory with an infectious horn-led break, before developing into a Giorgio Moroder-inspired disco stomper. Also of note is the elastic bassline-fuelled 'I Got It', which displays a lightness of touch and subtlety rarely seen in dance music. This more mature sound, fused with the DJ-friendly identity of earlier releases shows the progression the duo have made since their debut back in 2009. The artwork that has been a feature of Souleance's releases is present again, with Alice Dufay providing stunning illustration in her idiosyncratic style. The EP also features two remixes - Debruit remixes the title track, blending the Souleance sound and putting his unique stamp on it - in his own words 'an imaginary place where ancient West Africa cohabits with 80's New York'. Finally Dutch newcomer Uffe takes on 'New York', retwisting the keys to create an MPC-style house groove - the perfect conclusion to Souleance's best EP yet.