Swiss born and now London based, electronic producer Radovan Scasacia founded the Dreck-Records label alongside longtime collaborator Laurent Benner back in 2000 before going on to spend the last several years releasing a more or less steady stream of 12â€s under both his parallel Secondo and AM/PM production aliases. ‘A Matter Of Scale’ represents Scasascia’s debut album as Secondo for the ever-eclectic Soul Jazz label (in the wake of appearances on their ‘Microsolutions To Megaproblems’ 12†series) and sees him pursuing a fractured yet melodically coherent tech / electro trajectory that at points calls to mind a far more melodically smooth and accessible take on Akufen’s hyper cut-up aesthetic. Opening track ‘Ought To Say’ provides a more or less perfect intro taster here, ushering forth smooth midtempo electro-house grooves that manage to carry more than a stray hint of Detroit ‘nightdrive’ atmosphere as glittering handclaps and gritty-sounding snares power their way beneath the fractured, bumpy-sounding rhythmic time signatures, in an offering that calls to mind a slightly more ‘offcentre’ Metro Area.
By contrast, ‘Macula’ sees the bpms accelerating up towards more floor-friendly tech-house tempos, as noised-up samples stab their way through a warm backdrop of clicking 808 drum programming and fuzzy analogue bass pads, vague traces of acid lurking at the very edges of the Chicago-indebted rhythms, before ‘Kuwait’s gets more disco / punk-funk oriented, fusing a DFA-esque elastic riff with liquid-sounding cowbells as stabbing sampled vocal grabs richochet back and forth, in what was easily one of my favourite tracks here. The comparatively subdued ‘Wait For It To Come’ meanwhile sees Scasascia venturing down into fractured dubby landscapes suggestive of Basic Channel, before the propulsive ‘Burns Me Up’ sees Moroder-esque bass pulses locking in beneath the Detroit-tinged synthlines and splashes of handclaps, ushering forth what’s easily one of the most extroverted dancefloor offerings here. An impressive and diverse debut album from Scasascia under his Secondo alias that’s well worth seeking out.
