Pheromone Groove // Kongoko

Saturday 18th saw the release of the third in Life Crushed’s ‘Favored’ series, and by the sounds we’ve heard so far is likely to be the strongest of the trio. Previous editions of the Favored series have featured contributions from the likes of Bwana, Bruises, iO and Bondax. This latest offering in the series features contributions from a healthy assortment of musical outlooks, the weighty eighteen track compilation exploring sounds as far ranging as footwork, grime & techno along with some decidedly more introspective downtempo experiments.

With so much range to choose from picking a favourite was always going to be difficult, although the track that stood out for me was ‘Pheromone Groove’ by Kongoko. Having followed Kongoko’s productions for a little while now I was mildly surprised to see him doing something i’d class as slightly outside his usual tag. However this isn’t to say Pheromone Groove doesn’t live up to his excellent production standards, on the contrary I’d argue it probably exceeds them. Melodically the track is reminiscent of Fantastic Mr Fox’s signature future soul/R&B synthplay, although percussively packs a lot more punch, keeping more in common with Kongoko’s usual hectic approach to footwork-esque rhythms. It is perhaps this combination that gives Pheromone Groove the edge, making it perfect for in the club but with enough sonic texture for home listening as well.

Whether or not Life Crushed are aware that they could easily be charging for this fantastic assortment of music we are not sure, however we strongly advise you take advantage of their generosity and hit the download button before they think better of it.

• Published
• Aug 20, 2012

• Credits
• Words by Theo Darton-Moore