Synergia 2 Breaks, Beats And Blips From Independent Dublin

Oh maaaaan! We open up with Saso and the sun is comin’ up, sparse beats and gentle keys, Pill St. Blues…Similau less successfully mate ambient moods with frenetic d ‘n’ b… T Woc’s ‘Egor’s Bass’ is pleasantly noodley and guitary, a definite grower...Jimmy Bean’s ‘Freeside Torus’ is as gentle as a kiss after an argument, with a fabulously spun vocal that put me in mind of Skindive’s Danielle Harrison doing a Sineád impression… Babelfish fail to float my boat, with a schiczophrenic piece of horror-film theme…Michael Morris’ ‘Fluid Flow’ is deep house that’s low down and (very) dirty…Rob Rowland’s ’80s-influenced ‘Freestate Two’ is a little too bedroom for my tastes…Northern Ireland’s Jupiter Ace show that this compilation might not be as Dub-centric as its title suggests, Luc Laster’s ‘Run’ is accomplished but souless…Donnacha Costello’s ‘Melan’ falls into the same trap, while Chequerboard’s ‘Octopus’ is damned by more noodles than you’d find at a Japanese banquet. Like Synergia 1, a bit of a mixed bag this, but posessed of at least two belters in the opening track and ‘Freeside Torus’. Worth investigating, different strokes and all that…