VIL along with a Pushmann collab makes his way back on the Be As One Imprint with a selection of jacky tech groovers, proving that techno funk and soul are still at play in an ever-changing world of high BPM techno. Exploring his influences on “Dafvnk,” it’s as if the artist is saying, “My heroes are my peers. I am here.”
If you’re unfamiliar or only vaguely familiar with Lisbon, Portugal resident VIL, you may be forgiven since a portion of his techno works have been kicking off in just the last 3 years under labels like HAYES, Planet Rhythm, and Klockworks, though his freshman work was most notably picked up by Synewave, and Lewis Fautzi’s Faut Section as early as 2016. A relatively new face to the techno world, he has already put a big dent into what seems like a promising career.
With this release on Shlomi Aber’s Be As One, it’s easy to see why. VIL’s well-polished sound, effortless mixing, funky bass work, infectious grooves, intelligent synths, and crisp drums are all over this release. Add to that, a vibe mixed with a bit of classic funk and soul influences and you got a great EP.
Title track “Dafvnk” pushes out a strong bass groove right out of the blocks hinting at a strong appreciation for classic Detroit techno, and Chicago house funk, or even can be considered a hybrid thereof. It sounds timeless, yet it’s not directly referencing either influence and can definitely be rocked in a modern techno set alongside harder tracks.
“Monojunk” is the stormer of the EP, making the five-track vinyl useful for progressing a set if the audience is still feeling the vibe from any of the other selections on the wax. The track is short and sweet and doesn’t dally around reaching for ideas to fill up an 8 minute track. But it only needs a couple elements to still be effective when the signal is taken up mostly by the chest-pounding kick and bass combo. Listening to this, you get the feeling that Beltram has a bit of voice in this as well. Sourcing possibly some of that Floaters vibe.
“Drum 09” is definitely all about the 909 drum work. While it’s a solid workout with effective grooves, it really hits the mark as something that’s unique to VIL. Full appreciation for the minimally treated drums is at play and the phased vocal sample really helps lock the listener in. For a DJ, this would be a solid texture to weave into the mix, and I would have to say it has a lot of practical uses in a set. Definitely this track is one to reach for to spice up bass driven material or anywhere a bit of salt & pepper 909 and hard edged funk is needed.
“Xpress ya,” like the other tracks on this release, has some slight homage in the title to how the tracks are made. X-press 2, if I may be so bold, is the name dropped on this one. But mostly it’s X-press 2’s funky grooves at play here, if there’s anything from them to be used beyond a cheeky title reference on this track. The hard swung chord stabs along with the syncopated bass and tough straight kicks definitely give my lower lip a solid funky face of approval. As another similar device in “Drum09,” the vocal sample is the hypnotic element locking you in place.
Last track “Slow Down” is a collab with Pushmann and features chattery hats and a sassy house style vocal, that, if you’re one of those filter head/isolator DJs, begs to be messed with. Once again, Chicago house, Beltram and Masters at Work style influences are here. Hard hitting kicks and pulsing bass/under kick, syncopated hats, swing-out chord stabs. The vocal on here, while good for some people.. might spook a younger more aggressively seeking techno head. Despite knowing why it’s there and the importance of the history of these types of vocals, an inner techno head is conflicted.. But if considering for the dj, for a 5 track EP, it’s nice to have this on a piece of wax because the dj you’re coming out of or who’s spinning next might really be into sassy vocal house. So there you go.. still a win.
Overall, each track shows love for the scenes and styles of music referenced here.. you can just tell VIL is a big fan of techno and house music and it’s great to explore the love of his influences as well as how he chooses to push those influences alongside his own voice. It’s as if the artist is saying, “My heroes are my peers. I am here.”
-Sean Ocean
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