Dntel

After Parties 2 EP

At first blush, it doesn’t make much sense why Jimmy Tamborello—recording under the name Dntel—would want to split up the eight new songs he has to offer. A full-length could have easily been made out of the two halves of both volumes of After Parties. Listen to both EPs enough times though, and the logic behind it becomes clearer and clearer. There's the logistical point about making sure the songs are as full and loud as possible. Rather than compress them on to one LP, letting the grooves stretch out on an EP just makes them sound that much bigger. Mostly, though, it’s about the sound of each batch of material. The first volume of this pair of EPs has a decidedly throwback appeal, taking notes from the progenitors of synth-pop and electronic experimentation. Part two though looks to current and (hopefully) future trends in electronica. 

Here, Tamborello finds inspiration in scratchy minimalist dubstep that appears to have been combined with samples from a Buddha Machine (“Leed”), throws in a bit of modern space dub into the mix (“Hits Line”), and breaks the two songs up with a shimmering bit of house (“Aimless”). The material is not as immediately gratifying as on After Parties 1, but that is simply because there is so much depth to the tracks. They are multi-tiered affairs that would slot well into abstract DJ sets and late night, pot-fueled gab sessions. This is the after-after party—the comedown. And the landing is soft and forgiving.

Sub Pop http://www.subpop.com

“Hits Line”