Tanner Ross – ‘bSide/4U EP

Tanner Ross – ‘bSide/4U EP
No 19 Music
House, disco
September 2011
 
 
Finally stepping out on his own two feet, Tanner Ross (previously of SECT fame) here serves up a first solo EP on Johnny White’s No 19 label. There’s a good chance you’ve already heard it given the caning it’s had from both White and Crosstown boss Lazarus, and as such you’ll already either love or hate it because repeated listens reveal nothing more than was already obvious first time through…
 
‘bSide’ is a simple, snaking thing right from the off...  it has waify melodies drifting in a warm night sky, a wholly adhesive, sparse electro bassline and a vibe which speaks of winding down after a busy night.  Simple and no doubt invariably effective, it surmises all we have come to hear already about slo-mo, deep and disco-fried house rather than adding anything particularly new to the conversation.
 
‘4 U feat Flo Night’ has more to say for itself, with bubbly, squelchy beats splatting out a pattern as twinkling, reverbing keys ring out above and plenty of vocal patches swirl amongst it all. It’s evocative cartoon disco at its most playful and wistful where the remix from Deniz Kurtel is far more arresting. It’s grimy and lo-fi like most of her output, with plenty of action going on deep in the mix, drawing you right into its core before a heavier kick drum lands and propels the whole thing forward with a nervy insistency: for me, it’s the EP’s highlight.
 
 Kristan J Caryl