Like It Soft // Low Jack & Qoso

Label: In Paradisium

Format: 12”/Digital
Release Date: 18/03/13

As of recent years, nightlife and clubbing culture in Paris has been said to have made a resurgence with a little help from promoters such as Concrete or Die Nacht, overcoming the issues that go along with how compact the city is. This news has to be all the better for Parisian duo Low Jack & Qoso; their latest release for In Paradisium, is not just apt, but tailored towards big room warehouse parties.

Low Jack’s offering for Delsin Records, the ‘Free Pyjamas EP’ felt steadily paced, but nothing in comparison to the funeral paced cuts found through ‘Like It Soft’. The title track itself clings onto the fruits of Low Jack’s Delsin release with tenacity, employing the same dry side sticks and penchant for contorted R&B vocals. These vocals are the only element that could conceivably be considered ‘soft’ on the release; ominous, distorted kick drums pound throughout ‘Like It Soft’ and also make up the basis of Low Jack’s ‘Hats & Cash’.

A five and a half minute assault of slow motion industrial hits and abrasive, muffled foghorns, the track remains unrelentingly sluggish throughout. It would be an understatement to say the track had a hazy quality to it, ‘Hats & Cash’ feels covered in a thick fog, through which its component parts struggle for centre stage.

Qoso’s ‘Brandy’ is easily the most frenetic track on the release, but loses nothing in the ruggedness inherent in the EP’s other offerings. Making use of the sort of twisted kicks frequented by the likes of MPIA3, ‘Brandy’ builds steadily, before it finally succumbs to the dousing of reverb applied mid way through the track.

Similarly to the ‘Free Pyjamas EP’, Low Jack & Qoso’s ‘Like It Soft EP’ mediates an intriguing balance between House & Techno, and as the press release suggests makes a good attempt at imposing the traits of industrial techno on a something not dissimilar to the hard house popular through the 1990s. Despite the fact that plenty of DJ’s will probably be reaching for the pitch control with the one (forgivably so), the 12” will no doubt be gaining plenty of support on the dancefloor.

Pick up a copy via In Paradisium’s bandcamp here.

• Published
• Mar 18, 2013

• Credits
• Words by Theo Darton-Moore