Bicep - Silk [MP3]

London dance duo Bicep – two of the people behind electronic music blog Feel My Bicep – have a second EP out this week on Throne Of Blood. Their first release from earlier this year was a decadent dance-floor work out, the fist-pumping synthy stomp of Darwin, Drippin’ and its simple elasticity, finishing with the housey tense flex of Darwin (Retro/Grade Edit).

‘EP 2’ draws from similar retro-house territory, and the formula works well. Silk (download the MP3 here) clearly taking it’s cue from old, acidified, Chicago sounds, driving with all the brazen character one would expect. Purple Sweat though shows they have more than one working mood, it’s burbling brushstrokes swinging more sedately than peak-time momentum. Choux is powered by melancholic piano, a hazy post-party-stumble-home of a track. There’s a real care and knowledge in the way they reference the past apparent in both EPs, but never at the expense of any of these tracks sounding like they take themselves too seriously. Nothing radical, but strong stuff.

Throne Of Blood released Bicep’s ‘EP 2’ on 6th June 2011