Alex Israel A Man Of Qualities

Creme Organization are getting busy right from the start of 2014, and here serve up an EP from Detroit insider Alex Israel. Israel has released on the label before and this new four track offering continues in his usual good form, exploring cerebral and atmospheric techno soundscapes with plenty of elan. "A Man Of Qualities" goes first and has a certain sense of menace luring at its sparse core. Sharp, coarse claps bring texture to the thick basslines and shiny synths and the whole thing gurgles invitingly. Next comes "Mustard Greens", a slow and lazy affair awash with lush chords, ticking percussion and rasping rubbery bass notes. It's pleasurable and immersive and on b-side "Angulas" the tempo begins to pick up. Here more spangled synth lines wrap around echoing claps and well-defined percussion to make for a fragmented and uneven groove that rumbles along like a fully laden donkey. Closer "Colugo" is a more standard, gliding deep house affair with jazzy drums, stabbed chords and plenty of old school values reimagined in a modern framework. Once again here Alex Israel proves himself to be a high dexterous producer with a unique sense of groove.