Pocketmoth is proud to present the second volume of Iti's club-focused 'Curvework' series: Saffron.
A functional two-track EP of South Asian-influenced dance floor cuts, Saffron explores the sonic intersection between Iti's cultural heritage and upbringing. Blending punchy skin-drum rhythms with a palette of snappy electronic percussion and luminous modular synthesis, Iti provides an insight into his explorations of cultural hybridity though sound.
The EP opens with 'Jalil', a slick 114bpm number that alludes to its Arabic meaning of "greatness" or "reverence". Underpinned by powerful low-end production, Jalil combines the cutting South West Asian sounds of the Darbouka & Mizmar with the distinctly south-east Asian Sitar, expressing Iti’s fraternal and spiritual connection to the Middle-East.
The tempo elevates for the EP's title track 'Saffron', which combines the tones of classic tech house and early 2000s British-South Asian dance. Characterised by rolling tabla lines, rhythmic vocal chops and silky pads, Saffron is an unsuspecting technicolour dance floor gem, vibrant like its floral namesake.
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The EP also features a booming remix of Jalil, courtesy of close friend Jesse Patrick. One half of prolific Australian duo X CLUB, Jesse was in the midst of a massive European tour while punching out this remix, yet still came up with the goods.
In contrast to the heavy techno and breaks that he and co-producer Ben Clarke are so well known for, the output of Jesse's solo moniker, DJ Speed, provides an insight into his ambient and downtempo sensibilities. In his remix, he strikes a wonderful balance between his two worlds, reinterpreting a bouncy broken-beat number into a solid 4x4 club staple, laden with organ and acid baselines.
credits
released October 12, 2022
Original tracks written, produced and mixed by Itrat Memon.
Meanjin (Brisbane), AU.
Mastered by Chris McCormack at Blacklisted Mastering.
Artwork by Nadeem Tiafau Eshraghi: enter-inter.net
These three songs from JV & Palf deliver jittery, hyperactive dance music with split-second vocal samples an bass-heavy beats. Bandcamp New & Notable Sep 4, 2018