“Dissipating Dreams” EP is a new Minimal House selection from the remote jungles of Pasadena; released on the Romanian-based label Inunct Music, it features intrepid man of mystery, Jeronimo Watson, who’s always there when you need him, but who never has idle time to sit around and chat. And with that, let’s jump into this record with a loud Jeronimo!
Things start off bouncy enough in “Avant Guardian” with a garage tune that begs you to ignore its more nostalgic, deeper influences. It goes through a comfy and warm melodic intro before submerging us into that rude-style of UK garage. One becomes aware that there is no going back, and you just have to let this post-Burial Minimal majesty run its course.
“Breathing is Believing” is perhaps the standout track on this latest record. Starting us off with a complex syncopated beat, you’re primed to expect the unexpected from the beginning, and boy does that all click when the deep, rumbling sub comes in, reminding us of the power Watson wields at his fingertips. This track hits a special place in my sonic pallet as being reminiscent of early Blawan. There’s so much to chew on with this track, from the subtly found sound textures, to a few ASMR-style vocal samples. The drum processing is very mature, not overly compressed, and it allows the deep subs to stay clean. This track hypnotizes as it intimidates in an alluring combination, like something dreamt up on the playa, but processed through the filter of a dirty downtown metropolis.
The record takes a sharp and very needed turn here, into party-style Minimal music—the stuff we all fell in love with as young adults, M_nus, Gaiser, and even old Seth Troxler seems relevant here. This is the sound that has etched itself into the history books, and Watson displays a mastery of its subtleties that can only come from a lifetime of listening as a fan with an open ear and open mind.
Watson closes out the record with pure seductive grooves across “Effectschain3000” and as with the other tunes, the drum processing is immaculate. Clean, deep, and punchy. A lot of producers flock to Minimal, because it seems like a great stepping stone to learn the ropes before heading out into the big-boy genres, but few actually take the time to learn what minimalism in music production has to say. It’s about the battle of those last few DBs in the kick compressor, about riding the edge between enough and not enough, and Jeronimo Watson rides that edge into the sunset and beyond.
We can only hope that things are looking up from here in Jeronimo’s future. I have it on good authority that he plans an escapade from his Pasadena hideaway into the bowels of the LA Underground.
-Dylan Brady
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