Review: Finest Wear - Distant Memories (Colour and Pitch)

The second release on Brighton-based label Colour & Pitch, "Distant Memories" makes it clear that the name of the label is more than just two words that look good alongside each other; this collection is full of vivid sonic colors and knows its musical pitches but doesn't take that as a point of pride.  The arrangements are well thought-out and interesting in a genre where that's not necessarily required anymore. In much house music these days a decent groove and a fat kick drum will usually suffice.

The term "intelligent dance music" was always silly-sounding, but the idea behind it was one worth aspiring to: tracks that still hold up as music when you're no longer in a dance environment. Finest Wear's work hits this target easily and without sacrificing any club "thump."

The opener, "The Storm" has the aforementioned elements and features spoken word describing the female vocalist's lover as the titular storm. This is followed by "For The Love" with dubbed-out vocal snippets reminiscent of a memory just beyond the point of clarity--yet definitely not forgotten.  "The Tribute" is up next and is probably the moodiest of all of the tracks with a full minute of strings and pads before any drum appears.  When the bass shows up in the arrangement almost 2 minutes into the track, the vibe is already pretty thick with pads and drums. Also at this point one may find involuntary bodily movement has commenced (also known as "grooving.") About halfway thru this number it begins to feel like a house party that has made that mysterious shift from beginning to "happening."

The closer is Sumsuch's refashion of the opening track, "The Storm."  Sumsuch moves the track in a jazzier direction--not any less rhythmic, just more complex harmonies and a bit more electric piano. There are also some subtle tech touches--just enough to sound slightly futuristic without going balls-out electro and balance out the jazz elements.

Folks looking to enjoy some butt-shaking and others looking for beautiful, yet bouncy electronic music have much to enjoy here.

'Distant Memories' is available now on Beatport , Traxsource , iTunes & Juno