3 out of 5

Label: Fanzine Records

Produced by: DMX Krew

It doesn’t take much for the simple DMX Krew formula to cross the line from good to great, but that, of course, cuts both ways: minus out just a smidgeon of what’s working, and you’re back to average bops.

The DMX Krew formula itself is widely varied, of course, but I’d say the most often-used template is one of minimalism, taking a retro sounding beat (produced by one of a myriad of units I imagine Ed DMX owning) and determining a new melody to lay atop it, with the pace and style of that beat determining an overall vibe. Sounds pretty basic, but that’s where Ed has proven to be the long-lasting champ: way more often than not, he knows how to boil that melody down to the fewest synths and notes to make it effective, and masterfully adds only what’s needed to any given track to make it work.

The A-side tracks on Malekko Phase Mod are great examples of this: loping 90s club beats with island tones bopping along, but done in a propulsive, futuristic way that plays up the electro artwork as opposed to something more laid back. This gives it a kind of cyberpunk vibe that just feels eternally cool, and even at 5+ minutes each, both A-side tunes keep moving and shifting pieces around to keep your toe tapping the entire while.

On the B-side, this first morphs into chillier acid-like sounds on Low Star, and that firstly loses a bit of identity, but more importantly doesn’t have the same wandering structures as the A-side tracks, and repeats too much to keep me invested. Closer Suspicion (Ruff Mix) brings back the marimba-esque keys and combines then with the acid crunch, which should be cool, but it maintains the repetition that preceded it, and just loops through its same few bars for five minutes.