Antoine Ceasar & Timur Valiev - Rotten Wars

Written by Josiah Fingaz Saturday, 10 January 2009 10:25

The Vitals:

Label: Indeks Music
Genre: Minimal
Number of Tracks: 2

Josiah's Take:

This is the debut release on Indeks Music featuring a collaboration with artists Antoine Caesar and Timur Valiev on this 2-track EP: "Rotten Wars" and "Chicks Attacks". Expect a minimal/tech house sound with various sci-fi sound effects. These two artists are definitely worth checking out for all you minimal heads out there.

Let's start with the title track, "Rotten Wars". This track is a steady, driving track that would be best for an opening set. I like the percussion and how it is minimal yet flirts with a chunky tech house sound. It has various phaser stabs throughout that I do not like personally but that might be great for someone searching for a more spacey, tripped-out sound. The bassline comes in growling with promise but does not change much until 4:52 in the track. It attempts a build, but it's not really much of one. The track really did not hold my interest, thus it is my least favorite of the two.

I prefer "Chicks Attacks", which starts of with a lot more energy than "Rotten Wars". It has a minimal/tech house feel with a very fat kick drum and well-placed claps and snare hits. The bassline is steady and carries throughout the song, though without much development. I would have liked to see more creative production done with the bassline as I think that is what both tracks lacked. In my opinion, the bassline often is what makes or breaks a groove. There is a nice breakdown where the claps are showcased with some reverb, making for the emotional high point in this track. I was hoping that the build would take the songs momentum up a notch, but it only reverts to what the first part of the track sounds like.

I don't think that the Rotten Wars EP is these two artist's best work. I think that they are experimenting with a new sound for a new label, and that is to be commended. More creativity in production and the development in the basslines would have brought them a higher score. However, like I said before, if you are into minimal, these two artist's are definitely worth keeping an eye on.