The French/American duo Benoit & Sergio have a fresh EP that’s lined up to be released October first, by the LA-based Culprit imprint. For the label’s 39th EP release, the boys have cooked up Adjustments. Consisting of two tracks that seem very different at first, but actually fit right in their poppy, avant-garde production style.
The Adjustment EP is the result of a fruitful relationship between the two and Culprit’s head honcho, Droog. Sharing a passion for new wave, Paul Simon and Talking Heads, it’s no wonder this EP doesn’t comprise your everyday, run-of-the-mill dance records. So let’s start off with the first track: ‘Shake Shake’. After a rather long intro, consisting only of claps and muffled, high-pitched vocals, the playful bassline sets in unexpectedly, releasing the tension of the build-up. Combined with a cheeky piano riff that concludes every measure, there’s a game of call and answer that’s created between the instruments and the lyrics. This kind of production scheme is typical for the sound of Benoit & Sergio, and they seem to have pulled it off again with ‘Shake Shake’. Some may find, however, that it all becomes a tad repetitive after a few minutes. But fortunately the groove is fresh enough to overcome this minor flaw with confidence.
Now the second release on Adjustments can’t be reviewed as your typical dance record, because it is much more than that. It’s like a song. ‘Adjustments’ bears similarities to plastic, eighties synth-pop. It sounds pretty unique, especially when you compare it to what’s popular on todays Beatport charts. The track is beautiful in its serenity, transcendental even. A Spanish guitar solo provides a warm contrast to the clinical synth heart of the groove. A soft but determined voice speaks out against “Colour frequencies and resonance”, followed by “We just wanna dance”. Now we’ve had the pleasure of hearing the track being played in an intimate club setting in Amsterdam by Benoit & Sergio themselves, and the crowd was doing just that. Benoit & Sergio had them in the palm of their hands.
So Adjustments EP is a welcome addition to an already impressive catalog. Benoit & Sergio have hit the nail on the head once again. If you want to see them behind the decks, you’re in luck. Because they will be playing not once, but twice during ADE. First during the amazing Visionquests Superpleasures (October 18th), a must-see where they will be performing alongside Seth Troxler, Subb-ann, Adam Shelton and other big names. The following Saturday they will hit Club Air during the We Love Amsterdam ADE special. Be sure to check them out!
Shake Shake (Original Mix)
Adjustments (Original Mix)
Superpleasures by Visionquest with
Seth Troxler | Benoit & Sergio | Subb-an | Ryan Crosson & Shaun Reeves| Adam Shelton | John Dimas | William Kouam Djoko | Boris Werner |
18th of October | Roest Warehouse | Superpleasures by Visionquest | Tickets | Venue by day | Venue by night |
