lee curtiss and spectral sound have been running in the same pack for years-fi,,nally, after suffi,,ciently circling each other and sniffi,,ng each others business, spectral and lee have joined forces to release the detroit producers the black door ep, and it s a doozy. lee curtiss traffi,,cs in airtight, undeniable dance tracks with a tricksters sense of experimentation-the black door ep is all that and more, a beguiling 12 inch whose charms multiply with each listen. >black door beauty< opens side a with a touch of chicago futurism, spinning congas, staccato vocal samples, and a swift dusting of hi-hats into a house anthem with psychedelic undertones. berlin producer dyed soundoroms remix minimizes the sub-bass thump and plays up the tracks oddball trappings, tricking out >black door beauty< with the sounds of creaking hinges, neurotic synthesizers, and a particularly creepy chorus of hysterical tittering. b-side >smoking mirrors< guides the listener through clouds of melting organ tones and busy, polyrhythmic click-clack as a sturdy bassline (with a funky, french-house beat skip) cuts through the haze. curtiss lets the rhythm do the work, building to multiple climaxes in the span of seven minutes. at the end of each anxious buildup, there s a womans breathless moan, a let-the-air-out-of-the-tires hiss, and it s time to do it all over again.
