Appleblim & October – NY Fizzzzz review

Schmorsgabord is a new label, and it launches in style with this collaboration between Laurie ‘Appleblim’ Osborne and Julian ‘October’ Smith. The release sounds like a perfect meeting of the former’s DJ-friendly bass excursions and the latter’s tendency towards deep, dubby techno. Indeed, lead  track “NY Fizzzzz” perfectly encapsulates this meeting of minds: the beats are tough yet contain a swinging, Applepips-esque feeling that will ensure the track gets noticed amid the deluge of straighter techno and tech-house releases. Allied to this backing track are more traditional dancefloor elements. The kettle drums are pure Chicago, the progression into the break down, precipitated by a combination of gradually building filters and ponderous chords are inspired by October’s back catalogue on Caravan, but this combination of the new and the familiar sets “NY Fizzzzz” apart. On the flip, the duo focus on a more experimental approach; “Fountains of Paradise” eschews the dancefloor, but the deep, brooding chord soundscape is  lent some urgency by the shuddering waves of abstract percussion that occasionally break through the ponderous surface. That the label has decided to put its weight behind two different facets of this collaboration ensures that the end product is very tasty.

Richard Brophy