Bintus – Corrosion Control review

Good old acid house; that most hammered of styles in the dance music milieu never really goes away. While its popularity might wax and wane depending on other more contemporary trends, there’s always someone out there getting their hands on a 303 for the first time and twisting it out. At this point in time, acid is well and truly celebrated as the revival of analogue hardware and jacking Chicago house continues unabated, and as such there’s ever more studio bods getting nasty with the frequency and resonance dials.

Milo Smee is one such character who has finally found the chance to express his love of all things squelchy. As professed in his recent interview with Juno Plus, the man better known in his Chrome Hoof project has always loved the sound, but just never had a chance to explore it before. With this new Bintus project we can expect to hear plenty more raw, no-nonsense tracks coming in the future, and on the strength of this first instalment, it’s one to keep tabs on.

There’s two distinct paths being followed here. One is acid house, as ably demonstrated on “Corrosion Control”. Doing away with overblown notions such as intros and build ups, everything kicks off from the first bar as a strong kick n’ snare combo underpins a perfect example of how to get the most out of a 303. It’s a line that even Luke Vibert would be proud of, with the seven minute duration given over to slow but sure adaptations on that same refrain.

Perhaps more intriguing is the “Advanced Fuel” workout that strikes upon vintage electro as its raison d’être. The breakbeat is a simple one, but still the 303 rules the day. This time however there’s a little more fluctuation in the form of drop outs and additional synth work. Primarily though, this is still rough and ready floor crushing material of the highest calibre. In the textures and finish of both tracks, Smee has proved that it is still possible to stand out with your acid house tracks. While bringing his own talents to bear on the music, there’s an undeniable feeling of respect for the origins of the sound that emanates from the authenticity of the Bintus project. Some things you just can’t fake.

Oli Warwick

Tracklisting:

1. Corrosion Control
2. Advance Fuel