Simple Symmetry Vinyl, CD & Tape 3 Items

Simple Symmetry are back on Calypso for a second offering but this time around it's in a different format. They've enlisted remixes of tracks from their Sorry We Did Something Wrong album which first landed back in 2021 as a self-released project, which won over many fans with a sound that went way beyond the club and now gets repurposed for the dancefloor with extended and club versions. The Horsemen Of Housing & Commercial Services rework of 'Che Che' is a dark disco classic, Smaghhe & Cross rework 'Rounded With A Sleep' into something taught and trippy and INigo Vontier layers in plenty of darkness, grit and grime to his take on 'I Must Not Fear'.

Normally records that take a long time to make can sound fractious, convoluted self-absorbed. This is not the case with Sorry! WE DID Something Wrong, the debut from Moscow’s Simple Symmetry, which despite taking three years to create, is a total gas to listen to. Simple Symmetry — aka the Lipsky brothers (Sasha and Sergey) — haven’t really looked to reinvent any wheel, rather they have managed to collate a vast amount of good vibes and well-loved sonic conceits and breathe new life and colour into them. Temporarily ditching the electrifying dance music they are famous for in favour of a universal pop sound — replete with flutes, cello, “all kinds of percussion” and synths, sitar and guitars — the brothers have made an upbeat and incredibly accessible record; a tonic for these uncertain times. At first glance, some of the titles: ‘End of Days’, ‘I Must Not Fear’, ‘Oh Lord’, and ‘Out Of Body Experience’ don’t suggest the expansive and very danceable soundtracks we get to hear. But with the aforementioned tracks and rug cutters like ‘Che Che’, Simple Symmetry re explore those moments in the early-to-mid 1990s when artists like David Holmes, St Etienne, Andrew Weatherall and Death in Vegas looked to plunder the grooves and licks of the 1960s and early 1970s. The bell rings, flutes, harpsichord and vocal harmonies in ‘End of Days’, for instance, suggest the Beach Boys at their most laid back and sunkissed. Or The Monkees when they chowed down with Zappa and made Head. Even the countdown makes direct reference to the 60’s Space Race. Sometimes, the Lipsky’s reappropriations of these kinds of moments in popular music’s history are so brazen it’s best just to laugh at the sheer cheek of it all. Whilst shaking your hips, of course. Life-affirming, comforting even, Sorry! WE DID Something Wrong shows that old tricks can still be magical if used with the right spirit. This record is also the sound of coming together. Literally, as well as metaphorically. Simple Symmetry confirms that “there were many collaborations with artists we love and admire from all over the world, from Russia, Israel, Germany, UK, Brazil and the USA.” Including a guest vocal by their good friend Petr Chinavat on the beautiful, hippy-dippy technicolour paean to one of the ocean’s most mysterious creatures, ‘Octopus’. After a while it’s impossible to think too critically about the whys and hows, especially when confronted by floorfillers like ‘I Must Not Fear’ or the marvellous, gonzoid ‘Koko the Gorilla’ which stomps its way through the simplest, sugariest of melody lines and throwing out kooky vocal samples and comic roars for good measure… Koko turns up on the album cover, courtesy of Athens artist Dimitris Rocos. In a way the beast is a spirit animal for this release: in your face and brazen but (to steal a lyric from Julian Cope) kinda cute. For those needing some respite from all the high jinks, there is plenty of space to sink into a pleasant reverie, courtesy of the Gong-like comedown that goes by the name of ‘What A Relief’ and the Glide-tastic ‘Rounded with a Sleep’; both of which allow the gentlest of comedowns in your favourite seat at the Korova Milk Bar.

Simple Symmetry turn in an epic, mournful EP that reflects on their journey in exile. After a long-standing affiliation with Multi Culti that includes remixes for Nicola Cruz and Drugface, as well as a huge edit for Culted, the Russian brothers weigh in with a heavy 12” that comes on the back of an emotional year where they defected from Moscow, their world turned upside down by politics of aggression. ‘Problem’ is built around a kernel of punk panic performed by Hugo Van Heijningen (of Red Light Radio, Cawd Slaydaz, Order Collective). The anxious rage embedded in that opener finds a kind of disoriented catharsis in ‘Where I Am’, an uptempo ravey anthem that recalls the rush of CJ Bolland’s ‘Electronic Superhighway’ with a sense of angst and energy all their own. It’s the song of the soul-searching raver, finding a sense of home in the ecstasy of the dance, amidst a backdrop of oppressive fear and uncertainty. The triptych concludes with the mournful ‘Funeral Of Past Affections’, their own strange brand of horn sounding a vast and potent letting go. At once influenced by and homage to Andrew Weatherall, this one hits hard, emotionally. Imagine tears on the dancefloor, the strings reminding us that dance music can indeed be anchored in the very deepest centre of our soul. Supporting them on this trip are long-time compatriots Red Axes, a natural fit for the indie-punk elements in ‘Problem.’