[When In Doubt]

Well this is certainly something of a curveball. Oddities have always run through Dave Huismans’ music, but his latest record for his own label When In Doubt is quite a bit different from anything we’ve ever heard from him. Based on field recordings taken at various locales around Jordan, Air Jordan is full of the kind of not-entirely-club-friendly dance music you wish were played out, but that most don’t dare to for fear of clearing the floor. “Solitary Sheepbell”‘s off-kilter tones remind at once of Huismans’ oft-employed playfulness with melody, but their implementation, surrounded by found sounds and not a sub-bass in sight, make it a welcome departure. “Desert Lament” is more recognizably 2562, with its shattered shuffle, detuned organs, and crushing low-end, but swirls of chirping animals lend a haze that places the track right in the arid desert.

Flipping the record over, “Jerash Hekwerken” invokes the bustle of its namesake city, while “Nocturnal Drummers” recalls the music of a Bedouin campsite, beautifully marrying sampled percussion with Huismans’ subtle production touches. The whole record reminds me a bit of Demdike Stare’s take on “world” music — actively grabbing sounds from musically rich corners of the world that exist well outside of techno, yet contextualizing those sounds within the scene and expanding what (and where) contemporary dance music can be. Anyone can take field recordings from Jordan and make “techno” tracks, but it takes a special talent and keen ears to make those tracks sound like nothing else out there. Huismans makes the field recordings really mean something — instead of being a gimmick, they are the essential component of Air Jordan‘s colorful surroundings. Recently I noted that while he is himself a distinctive producer, Huismans’ records don’t seem to ever stray too far from his unique sonic signature, and as if on command he unleashes his most confounding record to date.