repress 2017 , allez! as the curtains come down on another crazy summer of love, apollonia drop their latest release courtesy of io mulen - the ukranian rude boy who appeared on the label at the beginning of the year with ‘unknown to the unknown’. he’s back with a hefty six-track package which is sure to please his fans, and win him a whole new army of supporters. we get straight to business with the first track, ‘rdm37’, one of those trusty apollonia bouncing bombs. skittish beats work off a sublime groove, while io keeps the background full of interesting sounds, boings, cheeps and all manner of whimsical effects, introducing more and more as the track progresses. by the midpoint you’re so gripped by the track that your whole body is moving uncontrollably, super glued to the rhythm. next up, it’s ‘xdt54’ coming through with a deep, persuasive bassline that jigs around in the low end luring you into its web. simple, polished percussive elements keep things moving at a pace while subtle keys and barely-there vocals add further layers to this catchy little number. the third track in on this lengthy ep is ‘mpc13’, a walk on the sensual side. vocal snippets are interspersed among sultry pads, skipping four to the floor beats and a sleazy b-line to create a delectable slice of dance floor naughtiness. this one flirts with you as it writhes around, taking you ever deeper…four tracks in we have ‘zgb41’, another alluring cut that has all the hallmarks of a deep house classic. those shimmering pads, a bassline that feels like it was born in nineties chicago, diamond-cut beats and a general feeling of what we would call ‘true house music’. there’s soul, there’s funk and there’s realness, what more can you ask for?ypt58’ keeps us locked in to that hypnotic groove with an insistent b-line holding things down - together with the infectious rhythm cultivated by the drum arrangement, it’s a killer combo. put those together with the smooth atmospherics plus synth lines staggering in and out of the background and you’ve got yourself a roller. last but definitely not least is ‘zxy22’, a wistful slice of technoid funk which has a delicate melody at its foundation. as it develops we get sucked in to layer upon layer of beauty, from the analogue low end to the electric guitar riff – each layer complementing the other and creating a symphony of sounds that acts as a perfect way to close out the ep and will no doubt end plenty of dj sets, when it’s released. so monsieur io (mulen) returns to apollonia with an instant classic, make sure you snap it up right away. magnifique!
