This is a label I should write about more often. Firm Tracks has a great name, garish art and something like a family vibe that makes every record feel like a less malignant version of Father Yod and The Source Family. The A&R has been completely all over the place and I mean that in the best sense of the term: I have no idea what’s coming next, there’s nothing like a discernible blueprint and it leads to that wonderful feeling of following a label – the people, the thing, the omniscient intelligence behind it – rather than the products it produces.
And now: this. Firm releases remixes of Space Meow Doll’s “San San,” released simultaneously on the album Long Vacation in BK by Already Dead Tapes on cassette. The original brings to mind something like a hyped up & ADHD-riddled Takako Minekawa circa Roomic Cube. Firm Tracks’ mix is a fun take on it and maybe I’m not just feeling nostalgic because the beats almost twist into a modern take on West Coast breaks. All the cool kids will probably go for M Parent’s (quite unexpected!) acid heavy techno remix – with the quirkiness of the overall project, this hits like a bolt out of the blue. Insane FX on this track. And Davis Galvin doubles down on the freaky funk by taking the original, running it through a SlapChop and 7 wave distortion filters until it sounds sort of like how Glitch Art looks.
How do you follow up on this? After three releases, I have no idea where this label goes next. That’s a pretty cool thing.
Support #RealHouseMusic! This post was originally published in 5 Magazine Issue 145 featuring Joeski, Ricardo Miranda, WildPitch and more. Become a member of 5 Magazine for First & Full Access to Real House Music for only $2 per month!
