Flørist - 4 Letter Word
Small club dubs, who knew it could be so good? Flørist pushes shifting, crunchy rhythms to the forefront of a stunning first outing on The Trilogy Tapes, released in 2019. The Canadian artists encapsulate the true ideologies of club music through their bouncy psychedelic funk fusion productions, balancing wonky atonal-esque chords and raspy percussion.
It seems apt that this Flørist release would be the one that re-ignites my love for electronic music, and I wholeheartedly believe that the clubby UK vibes on this record of the reason. Flørist as not a native of the UK, was able to capture the pure ethos of what I believe is pure UK-ness, Boisterous beats starting with a squat, thick kick surrounded by a plethora of energetic sizzling hats, leftfield percussion littered around the periphery and bringing the elements together with a monstrously fat thumping bassline that encapsulates a funky, inner-city attitude that emulates the garage and house greats.
Where Flørist differs is the ability to recreate the energy of a beat tape, capturing a rawness but with updated influences. As a result, the tracks are polished but crunchy. They feel like they’re made at home for the club but by someone who intuitively knows electronic music deeply enough to showcase experimentation without feeling pretentious. Each track exhibits a unique structure. They feel more like jams, with ‘Bonus Beat’ epitomising that idea, alternate rhythms being introduced even if it’s just for a small section and due to this, Flørist can build and build with each passing team making progression the focus. For example, ‘4 Letter Word’ uses a two-step kick drum in what begins as the main section, but as the track progresses into an extended breakdown, the two-step kick is now recontextualised as a build-up element.
Flørist demonstrates slick city dubs that are as warm as the morning sun hitting over the high-rises. ‘Sail’ is standout as it captures a separation of the wider dub and the claustrophobic drum work at the forefront. The most developed track on the 4 Letter Word EP is ‘Horn’, whose progressive track structures, exhilarating rhythms, and funked-out bassline make it the complete package. Flørist introduces one of my new favourite sounds in ‘Horn’, a whaling, 303-esque, continually modulating tone that haunts the track's latter half. This tone fluctuates and oscillates around the periphery, occasionally brought front and centre, some truly excellent work.
Tracklist:
4 Letter Word
Sail
Horn
Bonus Beat
Label: The Trilogy Tapes (2019)
Flørist - 4 Letter Word
