Rezzett - Puddings
Rezzett has always been fascinating, busting onto the breakbeat scene with a dusty aesthetic on The Trilogy Tapes. Their sound is a little experimental for most people's ears, mainly because of the heavy saturation and rugged beats. The duo never shy away from something new, often bridging the gap between genres with their last two albums, Rezzett LP (2018) and Meant Like This (2023), taking heavy influence from grime, breakbeat, techno and even chiptune. When you delve deeper into Rezzett's discography and give yourself time to assimilate, you can discover something rather special.
The latest release, Puddings (2024), is a departure from the fatty break sound the duo has come to be associated with. This time, Rezzett looks to extend this sound palette even further. They explore drone and ambient experiments on the track 'Treacle' as they create a thick molasses of sound. The fuzzy pulsating noise is almost sickly in how rich and texture-dense it is. However, Puddings isn't a drone record-both 'Sticky Toffee' and 'Spotted Dick' see to that. Both tracks take a more minimalistic approach than you are used to from Rezzett.
Still slathered in attitude, the atmospherics remain caked in a thick layer of saturated distortion. 'Spotted Dick' is more classically crafted with distorted samples. In classic Rezzett fashion, we've got highly overdriven hi-hat samples, bass unlike the obliterating speaker cones, all rounded out with a combination of pads and melodies actively bouncing off each other, creating something more than the sum of its parts. On the other hand, sticky toffee uses more sound design tricks to create exciting percussive sounds. Throughout the track, it's hard to distinguish whether these instruments are even physical, much like the output of an old computer that only works in binary. This ambiguity makes results sound so appealing. It's mysterious and confusing at times.
The track 'Plum Duff' sees the duo take a sharp left at the end of the aisle, skipping their usual break-fast in favour of heavy techno-pops. It's a welcome switch-up and makes 'Plum Duff' the record's highlight. It combines elements from the rest of the record into a whirlwind of melodic builds and banging beats. The intro is about four minutes long, leaving plenty of time for experimentation. The four-on-the-floor elements cement it more in the L.I.E.S Records camp of production, which is dusty techno with a heavily distorted sound. It's an exciting move, considering the breaks were a departure from The Trilogy Tapes sound when they released their first self-titled album in 2018. This newest effort by Rezzett still feels fresh and energetic. 'Plum Duff' melds catchy melodies, a basement buckling bass, and more than enough distinct Rezzett sound to keep the dance interesting.
Tracklist:
Plum Duff
Sticky toffee
Spotted Dick
Treacle
label: RZ (2024)
Rezzett - Puddings