Cass Red Atlantic EP

Having made his debut on Throne of Blood as a contributor to Moon Rock Volume 4, Cass. returns to the label with a blissed out 12” that builds upon the low-slung atmospheres of his recent output on Emotional Response and International Feel (in collaboration with Jan Schulte) to create a heady and modern sound influenced by both Balearic and 80’s pop sonics without every losing sight of the dance.
The a-side “Red Atlantic” pairs a steady 4/4 kick with circular melodies, dreamy pads, and melancholic vocals before Cass. injects a post-punk bassline to beautiful effect.
Autarkic (Disco Halal, Golf Channel) emphasizes the disco punk elements, twisting “Red Atlantic” into a dancefloor bomb with a looping take on the bassline, an insistent horn motif and a much more off-kilter atmosphere.
On the flip, “The Voynich Manuscript” feels much closer to the best moments on Youth Sessions, Cass.’s brilliant full length on Emotional Response, slowing the tempo and pairing another pulsing live bassline with a narcotic melodic line built from woozy, pitch-shifted tones. It’s both glisteningly pretty and tripped-out.
Longtime friend and label contributor Cosmo Vitelli drags “The Voynich Manuscript” back into dancefloor territory, upping the tempo and toughening the lushness of the original into an insistent late night chugger that’s been doing the business on dancefloors for a couple months now.