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Reviews of ONE:EP here
RipItUp Magazine
EMU aka Darcy Gladwin of Auckland and sometimes Wellington is somewhat of a musical journeyman. This, his second EP in as many years doesn’t compare to the extensive touring around New Zealand he’s undertaken. Visiting the most far-flung corners of the country playing his unique and interesting brand of music.
While Gladwin’s first EP ‘One’ was quite drum and bass oriented ‘Companion’ is certainly a more varied development in production in which he crosses different sonic sound scapes. Initially dreamy minimal sounds ‘The Frog and the Pussycat’ move through to driving well constructed breakbeats on ‘Say what?’ This EP testifies EMU easily rivals any other breakbeat producer in New Zealand.RIP IT UP, JUNE/JULY 2006
Companion is a 6-track EP that continues EMU's quest to fuse dub and Hip-hop beats with darker drum'n bass breaks within an electro format. It works well. Opening cut, 'The Frog and the Pussycat' recalls the layered, experimental threads of Fourtet, 'Pioneer' had me recalling John Carpenter's superb film-score work, though with an updated rhythm to drive it home. Elsewhere there are references to Future Sound of London, the occasional sparesness of the Omni Trio and the mind-bending idealism of our own Pacific Heights and Shapeshifter. Last year's EP from EMU, aka Darcy gladwin, (One) was far more in the drum'n'bass camp - so Companion shows a nice progression while staying true to his musical roots. The ominous sound of these songs is expertly matched in atmosphere, something that the likes of Boards of Canada, Aphex Twin and our own Module have mastered; a crucial compliant to this sub-genre of electronica. The mix-n-match and borrowing from dub, jazz (Andy Watts' trumpet is nice on the Salmonella Dub-meets Confuscious 'New Horizons') and minimalism helps to extend this breaks set out towards a new exciting place. Well worth hearing.
THE PACKAGE AUGUST 2006
Grooveguide Magazine
Companion delivers six tracks of electronic wizardry (or weirdness, depending on your point of view) from Emu, aka Darcy gladwin, whose tastes one might assume occupy a murky bit of space out on the fringe.
At first listen, I found this album to be a little abrasive and dated; second time round it started to impress upon me its deft construction; and third time round I was right into it. If anything, it does feel experimental and schizophrenic - the retro electronica of 'The Frog and the Pussycat' slams into the dubbed-out jungle of 'Pioneer' before running into the urgent rockabilly drum'n'bass of 'New Horizons'.
However, a commonality to the music releals itself in optimistically upbeat basslines and cute melodies, and there's a certain joy to be had in reminiscing the feel of vintage sound and sample experimentaion, harking back to when electronica was more-or-less 'brand new'. The sample-laden 'Carnival' stands out in its retro big beat bolshiness, a la early Les Rhythmns Digitalis and Elixir.GROOVE GUIDE, MAY 2006
Critic Magazine
Emu, aka Darcy Gladwin, has been loitering around the Aotearoa electronic underground for some years now, touring heavily with Auckland’s eclectric independent outfit Databass Recordings. His broad spectrum electronica ranges fairly extensively, from deep dub cuts through to broken beats and d’n’b. His debut EP, One, is fairly difficult to come by these days, so do check out Companion before it’s too late.
Opening track ‘The Frog and the Pussycat’ is almost an anthem for shoes-off and stomp around in the mud time, that special kind of sinister that is still unrelenting in its infectiousness. My one gripe with Emu’s music is that it sometimes strays a little close to ‘Messy’ on the variety spectrum. The six tracks on this release feel a bit disjointed in their relationship to one another, so while individual efforts are fantastic in their own right, listening to it in its entirety feels uncomfortable. The repetitious cymbal-stabs littered ‘Pioneer’ give way to way drunken horns staggering through ‘New Horizons,’ onto the synth-rock breaks of ‘Carnival.’ You get the picture.
‘Say What?’ is Companion’s best shot at merging all these into one relentless orgy of dancefloor hedonism. Cut-up vocal samples, analogue foley sounds, minimal drums and the echoing tides of layered synthesizers wreak havoc underneath wailing guitar fuzz that completes one of the oddest, and most interesting, electronic jigsaw puzzles I have pulled out of the box in a while. It would be a fine place to finish, and far stronger than the by now frustrating CasioTone loops playing through the generic dubbed out percussion of ‘Homeland.’
AARON HAWKINS, APRIL 2006
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