CMD is a producer from Montreal, introduced to readers here via the gracious Jenifa Mayanja and the Sound Warrior Loves compilation two years ago. At the time she had just released an EP on Jacktone, and they had the good sense to invite her back for this strangely intimate EP called Haptic Controls.
The four tracks here are tied together by a common palette – I need about 52 more listens to really be sure but there’s an instinctual feeling of connection as you roll through the tracks. For that reason it feels more personal, like a live PA with an array of machines that are guided by human hands rather than a jukebox that spits them out; a performance taking place in front of you with a human touch that is often unattainable (and sometimes unwanted) in electronic music. Jump, for instance, from “Channel 5” to “When We Interface” and you can feel pathway between them, a familiar swing that brings to mind a dirging solid state new wave/electro sound of someone like Jeff & Jane Hudson.
CMD gets a hell of a groove going, though, and the sweeping synths do their best to whip you up with them as they arch and ascend. This is one of the best records in Jacktone’s catalog, and I say with full understanding how great that catalog is.
CMD: Haptic Controls / Jacktone
1. CMD: Channel 2 (05:23)
2. CMD: Channel 5 (05:43)
3. CMD: Haptic Controls (05:03)
4. CMD: When We Interface (06:21)
IN THE GROOVE: Originally published inside #5Mag165 featuring Danny J Lewis, Aakmael, Roman Zawodny & UKR, Nate Manic & more. Help support 5 Mag by becoming a member for just $1 per issue.
