Tchami, the Parisian house heavyweight, has been putting in steady work since he helped pioneer the \”future house\” boom these past few years. Just over a month ago, he launched his own record label, Confession, through which he\’s now release his new After Life EP. We\’ve already heard two of the five tracks released as singles, and the remaining three do not disappoint.
The title track, After Life, which has been out for a while, sets the tone for the EP with an epic, live-set-worthy intro and eerie vocals from Stacy Barthe and a proper long build up. It then drops into the iconic \”future house\” bass and lead that Tchami does so well – standard, but well done.
The second track, Freakin transforms some classic elements into a fresh new feel. The tempo is curiously fast and utilizes a somewhat 90\’s style synth and piano hook and broken beat drum pattern for a garage type vibe. Dombresky, the London producer that collaborated on this song, was not an artist that I was familiar with, but after some quick research, it\’s clear he\’s someone to keep an eye on.
Third comes the other single, and my personal favorite, Missing You. This one begins with a deceptive half-time R&B break to seductively frame the tender vocals of Kaleem Taylor. After the build, the hook drops into one of the more aggressive basslines of the EP; unmistakably featuring some signature sounds of Night Bass label founder AC Slater, also featured.
Superlativ, is a heavy bassline-centric track that strays from future house into the realm of UK Garage. It employs several typical characteristics of this genre, broken beat-kick pattern, vocal chopping, and wobbling basses, yet still is recognizable as Tchami.
Finally, Tchami ends the EP on a prettier note with Alone. This collaboration with Illangelo featuring Chuck Ellis, foregoes a DJ-friendly intro for a smooth and airy melody. Though not my favorite track of the EP, Alone is probably one of the more artful pieces because it doesn\’t conform to the typical EDM trends of exaggerated builds & drops.
Overall this EP shows Tchami has a plan for his sound that includes his iconic sound, yet will continue to expand and impress.
