UPFRONTBEATS

It is the fine pairing of Italian Alessio Pagliaroli and Finnish star Kiki who team up to produce the 146th excellent EP on Canadian label My Favorite Robot Records. Between them the talented artists cook up four cuts that draw on a wide sphere of influence and each one excels for its own distinct reasons.

Kiki has had many underground hits in his time, releases on Watergate, Exploited and BPitch Control, and can do everything from deep and seductive to more tech and peak time cuts. Pagliaroli, meanwhile, has held some key residencies in his native Italy and puts out soulful, Detroit infused sounds on cultured outlets like Moodmusic. As such, this is a fine coming together.

Stirring opener ‘3000’ is seven minutes of restrained tech excellence, with jangling, spine tingling hi hats and gloopy bass teasing you to the point of climax. Serene synth chords add the sort of artistry we expect from this label, then ‘3001’ gets weird, with unsettling glassy synths squiggling about above a firmly rooted drum line. It is freaky music filled with a masterful sense of end-of-the-world doom.

The brilliantly upright ‘We Turn Into Animals’ is then rippled with lush melody and rolling rubber beats. It’s a real soul soother with whispered vocals adding intimacy as you zone out to the blissful sounds. Lastly, ‘Walk Outside’ showcases more stylish synth work, glossy arps and futuristic metropolitan vibes that are musical and magical in equal measure.

These are four classy cuts that are truly moving, both on the dance floor and off it.

• FB: facebook.com/MyFavoriteRobotRecords
• Twitter: twitter.com/myfavrobot
• Soundcloud: soundcloud.com/my-favorite-robot-records
• Beatport: beatport.com/artist/my-favorite-robot-records