By Doireann Ní Dhufaigh
This exciting new EP on Talamh Records is the collaborative work of darkmavis and sohotsospicy. The union of these two DJs has led to the fun signature “sodarksospicy.” Producers Sweet Philly and CNÁMHA also had a hand in this release. It would have been easy for Irish DJs to feel disenchanted with the closure of venues and to stop producing altogether, but sohotsospicy and darkmavis have delivered a body of work that makes one hopeful for the state of the Irish electronic scene.
Artwork by Aisling Phelan
Track one, “Glorified,” is a fricative introduction to the EP. It steadily amps up in energy, vocal chops drip-fed to the listener. “whAt” has a similarly insistent beat running through it, propelling the song forward into a hypnotic fugue. CNÁMHA and Sweet Philly were involved with the production of tracks three and four respectively. Track three, “Glorified (Sweet Philly Dub Club Remix)” layers on vocal cuts which add to the sonic texture of the original song. The following track, “whAt (CNÁMHA remix),” is a whalloping, spasmodic closer that has echoes of Stuart A. Staples’ moody film scores.
Speaking on the musical inspiration for the EP, sohotsospicy says, ‘With his hardcore sound and my jersey club bounce roots, we knew we could produce some real STOMPERS that would go off in the clubs.”
The EP ultimately is a cohesive and heady delight. The insatiable beats hit off some neural groove rendered in a basement club pre-pandemic. That is to say, sodarksospicy is immersive, and the thought of experiencing the work of these two Irish talents is a giddy prospect.
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