Although Lee Foss was born in Illinois, lived in Chicago for a decade and spent a few seasons in Ibiza, when the spotlight first began to shine on him about three years ago, it was in LA with his Culprit brethren that he found himself. Although he has since relocated to London to be closer to his most frequent co-conspirator, Jamie Jones, his latest release sees him once again working for aforementioned pals, Culprit, with a new four track EP, Turn Your Girl. Whilst early Foss output was littered with a number of r&b edits, he has since evolved into a producer with a sound of his very own (or at most one shared only with the artists he’s developing on his own label, Hot Creations).
R&B vibes still loom large, but rather than cheeky edits, Foss tracks now come straight from his own heart and mind and blend lustrous vocal hooks with a steamy take on slo-mo and disco fried house. It’s proved not to everyone’s liking, with many people still afraid of such overtly emotional and accessible music, but that’s not to say it isn’t done exceptionally well. And besides, when you learn that Foss’ end goal is, ideally, to work with bigger r&b producers, you’ll understand he is as concerned with writing ‘proper songs‘ as he is dance-floor slayers…
And so to his latest EP – the first since last year’s much lauded U Got Me – which is another accomplished trip through his trademark smooth, body popping basslines and sweltering female vocals all finished with plenty of slick production sexiness. ‘Your Turn Girl’ is infused with warm synths, a thrusty kick and plenty of effervescing neon sounds that roll in a future-retro embrace for five glossy minutes. ‘Pyramid Scheme’ bumps more than pops, with an unresolved melody line playing out over a muted acid bassline sounding, to my mind, a lot like would Hall & Oats should they turn up for a live jam at the Marcy Hotel in 2011: it’s a track which perpetually crescendos but which holds back the unbridled rejoice of ‘Your Turn Girl’ and is much more of a tease as a result.
‘Cabin Party’ is the most energetic track of all: snappy snares chop up analogue bounce and fold an echoing female refrain in and in on itself to make for endless cycles of dainty house grooves before final track ‘Warriors’ brings to mind Minnie Ripperton’s ‘Inside My Love’ courtesy of its rimless ripples of heavy-hearted warmth. Like I said, these are not tracks, they are songs: you hum the dreamy melodies long after they have finished playing and sing the suggestive vocal snippets like a love struck teenager lost in a bubble. That you can dance to the beats at the same time is what makes Foss’s music all the more enchanting.
Kristan J Caryl for AUTOBRENNT
Tracklist
