Son of Zev: Submerged EP

Quite literally the son of Zev – his dad – Allan Klinbail has been renowned in Melbourne, and the rest of Australia, since 1998, under his production nom de guerre, Son Of Zev.

Son Of Zev has performed live on multiple occasions in Melbourne, Sydney and Newcastle, supporting Squarepusher, Luke Vibert and Spearhead, at parties like Every Picture Tells a Story, Tresor and Zoetrope, and clubs like Centriphugal and Filter; most recently he played at one of the notorious Melbourne More Bass parties.

The ‘Submerged’ EP has been an extended work-in-progress for this talented producer, fine-tuned and tweaked over the past few years, before being allowed to see the light of day – and it shows. The depth of the productions and the quality sustained within each of them is something to savour.

The opening title track itself is superb, a classic remake of all that’s good about German labels like Tresor and Disko B, shaken up a bit with the wonderful, Detroit-infuenced Melbourne scene that Son Of Zev emerged from in the mid 1990s – think Voiteck and TR-Storm – combined with that fidgety live sound and swinging grooves Son Of Zev is famous for.

‘Breakdown’ smacks you round a bit like a modern jazz-jam session on steroids, ‘Trimetric-Funk’ offers up a sublimely bent form of tech-house that would sit well on any Planetary Assault System record, and ‘Wintersun’ offers more of the same, without being samey.

Closing up shop here is the final track, ‘Dummy’, an innovative tech track that references Chicago’s DJ Rush, yet places everything in a Germanic sound-cycle, with an edge of Detroit and a sprinkling of the wonky techno of Dave Tarrida or Cristian Vogel. It’s all so evidently Melbourne — and more specifically Son Of Zev. Brilliant stuff.

Styles: Techno, Funky, Minimal, Tech House.