Labrador

Among the things that go boom in the night, the slick but rugged house jams from TERRANOVA certainly occupy a territory on their own - these cuts are precision engineered to rouse any lazy crowd, while providing enough depth for the auditory cerebral cortex to keep spinning. Their latest offering LABRADOR is no different, providing two vivacious bouncers rich in pulling power, but with an undeniable classiness to boot. It's a blur, really, when you try to dissect any old track from Terranova - from the seminal full-length HOTEL AMOUR (KOMPAKT 248 CD 95) to the follow-up releases PAINKILLER EP (KOMPAKT 262) and HEADACHE EP(KOMPAKT 296), there's a consistent dedication to masterfully grouted, tightly knit rhythm patterns to be found, honeycombed with potent synth hooks and bendy basslines. But try and take one of these tracks apart and you won't be any closer to solve its mystery - for it's the movement itself that is the message here. The A-side's title cut LABRADOR - which also happens to be the first single outtake of TERRANOVA's upcoming new album "Restless" - is a perfect example for some finely sculpted momentum, a thrusting patchwork of rubber-like sound effects, determined bass licks and flicking percussion. An homage to the band's third member, a brown (and particularly agile) labrador named Rocco, this is not a track that likes to be kept on a short leash. The flipside's banging TWISTED quickly turns out to be as buoyant as its confrère, donned with a perky temper that can't stop pawing the ground. A powerful addendum to LABRADOR and the trigger switch to get your floor rolling.