V.A. Rotate Freely

This various-artists joint features four of today's hottest underground artists and promises to be the anthem of the summer. With four strong dance tracks built for either the dance floor or the listening room, "Rotate. Freely." will be quick to establish itself as one of the hot summer records to have in the bag. The record features artists who have either been to - or played at - the Freerotation music festival that occurs every July in Wales. AMR Chief Director Malcolm Moore, who makes an appearance on this EP, was inspired by the festival and the music showcased there. Malcolm's track, "They Just Don't Know You," is a melodic, acid-tinged middle finger to all those in the industry who make assumptions about others based on perception. This first cut features a baseline that grows harsher as the song progresses. The second track, by up-and-comer Natan H (Jordan Hochenbaum) of Gauss (Batti-Batti) offers a belter of his own in "Cruisin'" that starts off innocuously enough but then grows into a bona-fide, acid-bathed heater at its apex. On the flip, things continue with "Ungentle Into That Good Night" from Chicago Skyway, a longtime AMR family member. As in previous releases on the label, this track features him on the deeper, darker side, yet is still quintessential Skyway with snares, kicks, and high-hats drizzled throughout. A muted, macabre pad swells up from the start, then intertwines with a similarly dark, filtered lead through the remainder of the cut. Finally, Mick Welch, an understated artist from the UK, closes out the EP with "Tetra Hi", a rimshot-infused, arpeggiated number blended with velvety keyboard leads.