ark & pit spector continue their inspired journey with an extended ep full of groovy jams and absorbing rhythms for hold youth. the frenchmen have formed a potent alliance with a series of expertly-crafted, high-quality releases dropping over the last couple of years. on this new ep they go deeper into their sound explorations with five original works and a remix from their parisian buddy and hold youth member, le loup. first up, we go into bumping jazzy territory with ‘chauffage central’, a mesmerising cut with swirling pads, soulful vocal clips and a jaunty b-line. straight up after that, hold youth rudeboy le loup gives ‘chauffage central’ a funky little rework, throwing live sounding percussion, nubian vocal clips, trumpet parps and a pumping bassline into the mix which gives a totally different identity. the final track on side a, is a cheeky teaser called ‘petite ondée’. rolling out for just under two minutes the track has a muffled, jazz-esque feel to it with a warm rolling bassline and bright, sparkling piano keys. on the flip we kick off with ‘air conditionelle’, a lush, retro feeling with those oh-so-familiar heavy-hitting eighties snare licks. the bassline takes you to a new york city street and the whole atmosphere is that of an old school nyc neighbourhood, while a spoken-word sample adds a human touch just before the track comes to an end. ‘sub tropical’ goes a little leftfield with an unusual combination of sounds in tandem with a pulsating low end, occasional sax licks and punchy percussion to give it plenty of energy. ‘averse et contre tous’ closes out the ep with a slothish ride into the sunset – ark and pit spector show their experimental side presenting an odd union between blues samples, gruff electronic sounds and piano keys. another triumphant effort from ark and pit spector, in fact, some of the finest work to date. make sure you check it out!
