Playground magazine

GLASSTABLE (GT001, 12” + digital)


Jimmy Edgar has become synonymous with sexiness and elegance –with a bizarre edge- over the past few years, and “Hush” is no exception. The people at the Glasstable label, who are also behind Hypercolour and the London club Pete’s 50th, were looking to launch their catalogue with smooth and intriguing electronic music capable of moving your feet, so naturally they thought of Edgar. He is one of the few able to rejuvenate the Detroit Sound –even more so because he is actually geographically quite nearby- departing from techno and upping the soul quota. “Hush” is a slow House track, filled with delays and analogue caresses, that could easily appear in Theo Parrish or Moodymann’s record box. His countryman Kyle Hall, who first lit the fire with FHXE (“EP 01”) and consolidated his reputation with Hyperdub through “Kaychunk / You Know What I Feel” and his remix of Darkstar’s “Aidy’s Girl Is A Computer”, here ads some bulk and increases the tempo without denying the spirituality of the original. There are a beautiful moments of Rhodes organ and wild percussion, like Carl Craig grinding his teeth -of the kind that can flip the whole dynamic of a dancefloor- whilst the alternative track, a solo effort by Edgar, “BThere”, is a solid deep house exercise with a huge funk motif which ends the vinyl with more juice than an orange. Can we get a second edition soon, please.

Ronald Fritze