Specter is, like Rick Wilhite whom I wrote about just a few weeks ago, one of these underground cats who is a brilliant DJ and producer but not known for releasing a high volume of music. Even a full solo single by Specter would be cause for celebration, but what we have here in Built To Last is his first full length album, and on Theo Parrish’s Sound Signature label no less. While not new to Sound Signature, his previous two singles on there from some years back were both very much in the acid vein, though an especially off kilter and rugged version of acid. On Built To Last there isn’t much that could be called acid, but it is chock full of wild Chicago tracks both abstract and deep and sometimes both at the same time.
The album will be released on vinyl, CD, and cassette, but I will be reviewing the vinyl version right now. From the clips online, it appears there will be at least slight differences in the tracklist for each format (the Dego and Kaidi album on SS was also done like this). The vinyl consists of three discs with a total of nine tracks, and the pressing gives these cuts room to breathe and sounds very heavy sonically.
Kicking things off is “What Else You Do” which immediately takes proceedings to a very uncommon place for the opening track of an album. High pitched beeps and rattling percussion lay the groundwork for a repeated vocal (I can’t really tell what it’s saying or what the source could be and I’m not sure we are supposed to) and swirling synths that sound about a million miles away from the generic Chicago trax formula but maintain that same experimental electronic edge. In my head I can see Theo flipping out while beating this one.
Also in the more wigged out style is “Jaws of Life”. While not structured like an standard acid track, it instead uses an off kilter repeating rhythm to create its hallucinatory atmosphere. It’s hard to find music that feels like a contemporary take on classic house ideas without sounding like a copy of old music, but Specter manages that here and throughout this album. “Tamarindo” meanwhile merges the more dissonant and experimental aspects of his sound with jazzy electric piano chords and lots of layered synth melodies. These are the kinds of tracks that really stand out to my ears in defining a group of labels and producers who always try to do different and unexpected things while maintaining the lineage they are a part of.
My favorite track on the album reflects the deeper side of Specter’s productions that has typically graced his own Tetrode label. “Not New To This” didn’t even have to declare it in the title, your ears can take the Pepsi challenge with this any day of the week. The phrase deep house has been almost totally devoid of meaning for a while thanks to new jack dickriders, but music like this when done by someone with as much experience as Specter has will tend to sound sophisticated and amazing.
“0829 Fifty Fifty” is another undefinable mix of elements that somehow builds something that is both familiar and alien at the same time. Listening to the layers of sound at any given time, you can hear a twisted human voice, shaker percussion, piano chords, what sounds like running water (?), and funky synth bass. Elevator house this most certainly is not.
Specter takes it back to that beautiful deep vibe on “Sidewinder”, another stand out jam in terms of sounding captivating through the manipulation of just a few elements. The little rhythmic changes on the delayed synth line and the swirling almost ominous sounding pad that rises and falls can really worm their way into your brain and I will bet they will keep the dancefloor funky at the same time.
The closing track “Hunchback” is in a way the most straightforward on the record, but on an album like this that isn’t saying much. Synth bass and 808 drums are the constants but it’s the beeping melody and the constantly shifting percussion that tie it in.
When you add in the ambient and downtempo interludes on the first record as well as the excellent album artwork, Built To Last comes into focus as one of the most psychedelic American house records of late. But this ain’t some hippie shit; this is grimy, funky insane asylum soundtracks. The music contained isn’t about the equipment used to make it, it isn’t about the rarity of the records sampled on it, it isn’t lifestyle music you stream on Sp*tify during your dinner party. It is compelling, modern music that demands that you listen with an open mind. And that’s what I am looking for in 2018. Built To Last delivers and delivers.