Colombian house music connoisseur Felipe Gordon pairs sleek jazz with playful acid in Highly Conductive Rhythms EP, the latest release from Dam Swindle’s Heist Recordings.
Felipe Gordon is a traveler. The Colombia native frequently sets off from his stomping grounds in Bogotá, to spread the good word of house music. Some of his recent ventures include a radio show in Brussels, a packed club in Paris, and a warehouse in Los Angeles.
Gordon is a traveler in another sense too. Just as he traverses continents, his sound traverses genres. Gordon’s sound travels back and forth between jazzy escapades and acid stompers, all while maintaining the groove of classic house music.
Gordon now welcomes us to Highly Conductive Rhythms EP, a four-pack released by Heist Recordings, brainchild of Dam Swindle.
On track one, “Highly Smooth Tone,” Gordon lets his jazzy side out to play. An understated piano riff greets us, setting the scene. The riff has a funky skip in its step, but a touch of darkness too. It transports us to a shadowy, smoke-filled room lined with dark wood and warm lighting at the bar. Then the main acts emerge. Jazz horns flurry and shake, sometimes grooving along with the ensemble, sometimes branching off for dramatic solos. They’ve got minds of their own.
On track three, “Highly Corrosive Acid,” Gordon’s acid house alter ego steps into the spotlight. A punchy kick and thudding percussion start things off with a boom. We’ve left the jazz lounge and entered the warehouse rave. An acid line joins the party, jumping between notes and squelching playfully. Once the acid line has had its turn, a spinning, metallic synth takes over. It’s a rave merry-go-round.
One wouldn’t expect the organic smoothness of jazz to mix with the technological brashness of acid house. Yet, like the seasoned genre-traveler that he is, Gordon successfully brings both along for the ride in Highly Conductive Rhythms EP.
Here’s to unlikely travel partners.
– Forest Lieberman
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