Cadenza welcomes a new artist into the fold with
the arrival of Alex Picone. Based in Padova, Italy,
Alex has previously recorded for Tenax from Italy
and Detroit's Mixworks; these two tracks confirm his
status as a major new talent with plenty of tricks up
his sleeve.
You might remember Furby as a bestselling
electronic toy from the late '90s,
but Alex's track of the same name is
nowhere near as cute or cuddly. Sure,
it's got a warm, spongy sub-bass cushion
resting below, and some carefree
melodic flourishes flying above. And
sure, plenty of good-natured bleeps
keep the playful vibe flying high. But the
cut is built around a skeleton of polished
steel and precision mechanics, and as
relaxed as the beat may be, you get
the sense that this sucker could tear your
head off if you glanced at it the wrong
way. This is no-holds-barred dance
music with a manic glint in its eye and
wildpitch strings threaded through its
flesh: house music for house people who
won't let anything stand in their way of
the hypnotic groove.
On the flipside, Floppy kicks back and
debones, inviting us to unwind in time
with glancing chords and carefree
keyboard riffs. On the surface it's a
simple track, but there's more than
immediately meets the ear, from
moody clarinets bubbling up from the
deep to all manner of carefully tuned
percussion. What at first feels upbeat
and laidback gradually reveals a more
nuanced level of emotion—not
necessarily melancholic, but definitely
ambivalent: Don't be surprised to find
your mind wandering far afield while
your body is in motion. No ordinary
feelgood deep-house cut, then, but
Alex's guiding hand bestows it all with a
generous sense of swing and gentle
abandon, ensuring that this is one cut
that will take you as far as you want to
go.