French Canadian micro-house artist Marc Leclair is known for pioneering a production strategy called "microsampling" about 15 years ago. As you might guess, it involved the use of very short samples in the construction of electronic music. In his hands, it has usually taken the form of prickly, insectoid dance music, and the case is the same here.
Promo materials highlight the "classic house" element of this music, and indeed, it's abundantly present. Four-on-the-floor rhythms dominate, along with offbeat hi-hat (or at least, glitchy sounds functioning like a hi-hat). For all the hype about his progressive sampling techniques, Leclair is a bit of a genre-traditionalist here in terms of the rhythmic content.
However, one might be surprised by the out-of-character keyboard solo in the middle of opener "U." Leclair continues stretching out a moment later in the same song, with longer-than-usual vocal samples. "Death of a Mascot" stands out for its sample of a discernible piano lick. While it's still a relatively short sample by most standards, it's worked into a fuller melodic phrase that comes back later in the song, almost like a sort of chorus.
Though the second half of the EP is a bit drier than the first, fans of Leclair's particular brand of tightly wound dance music will still appreciate this addition to his catalogue, and if he keeps imbuing his sound with more warmth and accessibility like this, he could capture a few more ears along the way.
(Karat Records)Promo materials highlight the "classic house" element of this music, and indeed, it's abundantly present. Four-on-the-floor rhythms dominate, along with offbeat hi-hat (or at least, glitchy sounds functioning like a hi-hat). For all the hype about his progressive sampling techniques, Leclair is a bit of a genre-traditionalist here in terms of the rhythmic content.
However, one might be surprised by the out-of-character keyboard solo in the middle of opener "U." Leclair continues stretching out a moment later in the same song, with longer-than-usual vocal samples. "Death of a Mascot" stands out for its sample of a discernible piano lick. While it's still a relatively short sample by most standards, it's worked into a fuller melodic phrase that comes back later in the song, almost like a sort of chorus.
Though the second half of the EP is a bit drier than the first, fans of Leclair's particular brand of tightly wound dance music will still appreciate this addition to his catalogue, and if he keeps imbuing his sound with more warmth and accessibility like this, he could capture a few more ears along the way.
