Priceless – 136

The EP, 136, by Priceless, feels like a memory. The party was great and as messy as we’d hoped. We danced, there was just enough drama, the drugs confused us just enough to tickle our creativity. Now it’s time to drive home, but we need something that hints at the fading joy and will keep us awake. You could ask for nothing better than this EP.

We start with an intro which I appreciate because it sets the tone. Albums used to have intros and interludes. You don’t hear that much anymore, which surprises given it now costs less to include additional tracks, not more.

The intro hints at the broken party that we’re leaving. Things went well until they didn’t. Echos of rave bass and sirens are presented for meditation over a beat that’s danceable but not quite, while bizarre little noises mess with your head and expectations.

Then we’re into it. “Pads X Drones”, the first track, picks up where the Intro left off, before diving into a prickly banger of funky drums and big grimey bass. There’s a large amount of space, tho, reminding me of Spring Heel Jack trying to take jungle/dnb to another level back in the 90s.

“Warehouse” paints an accurate picture of being lost in a large space. We’re all milling about, dancing during the hard bits, then wondering how we got there. It’s an impressionist painting of tripping at a warehouse rave. This is my favorite track on the EP.

The next track, “Purple”, is lush and wonderful. It rolls along, pockets of sound design fly by, leaving you with a smile on your face. If you’re driving, you’d do well to put this on repeat.

And then the final track, “Tell Them”, is the jungle version of everything accomplished by the rest of the EP. The high energy will fuel you enough to get you home after the rave.

Posted on May 31, 2019