Tiger Stripes - I Heard It Through The Bassline

Single

17 Sep

Mikael Nordgren, known as Tiger Stripes, has become familiar with almost every four-to-the-floor genre through releases on huge labels such as Drumcode, Nite Grooves, and Ibadan. This time, Tiger Stripes joins Radio Slave's Rekids imprint, delivering two techy house numbers. The title track and serious groover, 'I Heard It Through the Bassline', relives the old French house glory days with its fun and involved disco-infused bassline. The track has palpable repetition that will stoke any club with energy, fitting the mould of talented artists like Daft Punk. That said, it's pretty hard to go wrong with disco chops, but it fails to elevate itself to something truly "classic" but will still get the floor moving. There's a delicious sprinkling of soulful vocals and some poignant breakdowns that leave enough room for the slam poet-style vocals to add a touch of depth.

On the other hand, 'Everybody's Doing It' takes more cues from slow-burning acts like Mr. G, with gradually unfurling musical elements. It's a much more delicate cut, designed to drift you away with trippy drones that glide around the familial kick and clap. I particularly like how the vocal gets stretched and repeated into a loopy sequence that compliments the other chords. This attempt at a deeper style of house music comes across as more original, relying on the audience to surrender a little. The problem with such a well-defined style is that many people who have come before have perfected it, making it much harder to stand out. It's nice to see Tiger Stripes show an affinity for two vastly different styles of house music on this record, and there is talent there. Unfortunately, tracks can be stale with many tech-house projects, especially compared to Tiger Stripes' older works. He still brings the vibes, leaving you with a peak-time party track and a chilled-out cooler; it's more than enough for the club and will do wonders for your workout.

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