FOOTROCKET: COLONY
★★★★
[Nov. 1; Raund Haus]
The cult of the groove isn’t exclusively an apocalyptic cult (see my Cochonne review for that). Far from it: Electronic dance music is a well-established outlet for utopian visions, and we also can’t stop listening to the blisteringly promising young Raleigh producer FootRocket’s second Raund Haus LP, COLONY. Upholstered in wall-to-wall good vibes, there’s not a fiber out of place in the footwork filigree and filter-house fantasies.
We already told you about the Daft Punk meets Deee-Lite pleasures of “Lingo” when we premiered it in our Triangle First feature, but that’s just the start of what FootRocket gets up to. He happens to be a freerunning enthusiast, which shows in how fluidly and lightly he flits and flips over varied electronic-music terrain.
On “Oh Yes,” chipmunk soul meets softly thunderous drum and bass. Antic yet sleek, the cuts come hard and fast from deep within the groove. “Rainbow Road” is a deep-house delirium in a Morricone mood; “Chew Babe” has the melancholy of DJ Koze’s “Pick Up” gone IDM; “Recovery” is filtered and warped around ethereal vowel sounds à la The Field.
There’s even a big pop moment in the single, “Happy,” featuring Foot’s own vocals. But “Take It” might best exemplify the music’s sense—of skimming a staticky eighties FM band—and its skill, rustling with organic sounds and aspirated syllables. Dude just has a feel for how to chop up a sample and roll it around, loving life every minute.
bhowe@indyweek.com