Two of the world's most distinguished electronic musicians have drawn upon their shared passion for the sensuality and groove of late '80s / early '90s NYC House to hatch a genuine anthem for unsuspecting and open minds. DJ Sprinkles, aka Terre Thaemlitz, is a now Tokyo-based producer who, among so much other stuff, released the hugely loved, genre-defining "Midtown 120 Blues" album back in 2009. Mark Fell is the South Yorkshire-based sonic genius known for groundbreaking work as half of SND and is surely one of the most important underground producers of a generation. The 'Complete Spiral EP' is an exquisite consolidation of their respective aesthetics, marrying Fell's filigree funk reductions with the instinctual, club-learnt groove pressure of Thaemlitz. The highlight for many will be their Arthur Scargill-sampling A-side 'Say It Slowly', where a choice speech is stretched out over organ stabs and a welting subbass heave in homage to so many MLK-sampling classic House bombs. A 'Hee-Haw' mix follows, replacing the speech with sparing coos and gasps leaving the rhythm naked for all to feel. But the B-side is the one that completely destroys us - an absolute peach taking over 12 minutes to do its thing, rippling skin-prickling polyrhythms with genuinely advanced, debonaire flair - Fell's percussive kinks synced silky smooth with Sprinkles' sense of body-yearning gratification and devilish, post-club intent. Cut by Rashad at Dubplates & Mastering, here's hoping that it's not just a one-off.
The vocal sample in A1 is from Arthur Scargill, former leader of Britain's National Union of Mineworkers (N.U.M). The segment is from a 2009 speech made on the 25th anniversary of the miners' strike.
Publishing: T. Thaemlitz (BMI), M. Fell (Touch Music MCPS)