Pattern Drama
'Sweet Romance'
[Touch of Class Records]
Pattern Drama’s debut EP, ‘Sweet Romance,’ gets things moving with its lead-off track, “Girar O Mundo,” and right away it becomes strikingly obvious that this sounds nothing like the generic dance offering you thought it might be. Move on to “Magic, “ “Oceans Part,” and then finally Eric Volta’s “Girar O Mundo Introverted Melancholia Mix,” and the truth about what Pattern Drama has created here finally begins to materialize. Simply put, Sweet Romance represents the best of what dance records can offer these days, and then, not content to simply rest on its laurels, takes the genre into a whole different place all together.
The EP is filled with old world sounds, and unlike many of their counterparts, Pattern Drama has declined to simply trot out a few violins here and there as proof of sophistication, only to be swept away moments later in favor of a more pedestrian beat cycle. No, in fact, they’ve taken the road less traveled, and allowed for the string sections time to breath freely as they weave their way through the backbeat, and the final products from each track coalesce into an EP that is refreshing in its antiquity, and yet innovative in its approach.
“Girar O Mundo” and Eric Volta’s re-work are both specimens of thoughtful composition, and masterfully build tension as they juxtapose modern arrangements with some very analogue sounds. “Magic feat. Candida, ” and “Oceans feat. Faux,” keep the bar up high all the way through, and utilize the talents of both collaborators to their maximum potential. This music is good enough to be listened to on any occasion, but by about half way through the first track, one can’t but help wish they had the streets of some ancient city to explore as ‘Sweet Romance’ swirls in the background. The music is timeless, and the beauty that this New York-based DJ duo has created will stay with you long after the last note dies.