#32 Feat. Staff Picks in Bass / Club

Eterna - the new label from Lisbon run by local mainstay Maria Amor - presents its first release 'Aerosol' by another of the city's most interesting electronic music artists, BLEID. A true sonic polymath, BLEID is known for their range as a music-maker and as a DJ: ambient, techno, reggaeton, guitar-led jams are all an integral part of their musical lexicon. In this EP, though, all eyes are most definitely on the dancefloor. Opener 'Rubber Band Land Calling' is an off-kilter percussive exercise held together by subby kicks that can't seem to stand still, punctuated with lush pad washes that breathe life and optimism into the otherwise defying atmosphere. Joyful resistance in a track. Drum experimentalism is also served in 'Hellastic Fantastic', with snares taking center stage and the kick pattern zig zagging dynamically between broken motifs and four to the floor hypnotism. Things remain on an ever-changing drum-led tip - but get slightly darker - in 'New Age Waste', all sound design impact and perfectly executed leftfield drum programming that wants us to shake our hips, not just bang our heads, as we dance. 'Desce', homonymous to BLEID's party series, feels like an homage to queer rave innovation by referencing iconic vocal and hoover hooks over a broken, genre-defying dance beat. Bored Lord steps in for the first remix of the record: the iconic American artist, part of the T4T LUV NRG family, picks up BLEID's opening track and turns it into an imaginative breakbeat-led groover where vibes reign supreme. Local legend and a key part of the Principe family Nidia redefines cadency and swing with a complex but natural - and expertly sculped, watch out for the sound design on this one - reinterpretation of 'Hellastic Fantastic'. A hair-raising finale to an EP that screams fresh perspectives: the way we make music and dance is changing and Eterna is here to document it.

BLEID