With the June 1st debut of house duo MEDIATE's first EP right around the corner, title track "Harder" gives a pre-release taste of what's to come. Producer Ant Hickman begins the track with a simplistic beat that reaches its hands out and begs for a melody, and a gradually crescendoing note grows until an upbeat, meticulously keyed synth kicks in and pulls you slowly out of your seat. The relaxed yet mildly energetic track showcases quintessential house rhythms, introducing unique twists with intriguing vocals that resound more prominently than the duo's previous releases, too. "Harder" ends as it started with the melody fading away, and only a snare-hat combination comes to grace its controlled closing moments. Though only having heard a pair of releases thus far, we anticipate an above-average freshman EP from the two, whose music brings great sonic pleasure while flowing quite naturally. Another of the EP's promising tracks features Jet Jam label owner Star Slinger himself, which is yet another reason to have high hopes for the upcoming work. [via The FADER]
MEDIATE