5 Magazine risks becoming, in essence, Rick Wade Monthly, but I can’t pass on a good record because an artist is on a roll. And Rick Wade is on a fucking roll – at least 20 tunes that I’ve come across this year, and I’m not going out of my way to find these things. And they’re on a variety of labels, too. In just the last few months, Rick’s tracks have shown up on mn2s, Hudd and of course Harmonie Park as well as christening new labels like The Playground and this one.
The Equivalent Exchange EP is Rick’s latest and the debut from Quality Vibe, yet another Italian imprint seemingly orchestrated to repatriate hard currency from your wallet back to the motherland. “Kum Tu Tan” and the B-side “The Being” are something of a throwback for Rick – after a few records of somewhat atmospheric and moody tracks (see, for instance, Night Addiction from Hold Youth), these sound like they’re designed primarily for flexibility for DJs – easy to mix into and mix out of and play anywhere from 2 minutes to the full 5. It’s not like the man is making compromises but these are sure to make people happy – in fact, I think they’re some of the best stuff Rick’s done this year. Which is saying something.
Orazio Fantini turns in a superb vocal mix that steals the show. I have no idea who this guy is – discogs lists a couple of releases, all in 2013, though with appearances dating back to 1999, if this is to believed (and discogs is often not to be believed). He cuts into Rick’s original with an assurance that’s inspiring. This is easily my favorite mix on the track, of this week and probably one of the best 6:21s of my year to date. So thanks for that then.
Equivalent Exchange is vinyl only and says so on the label itself. Fetch.
