[Laid]

For its seventh release, the Dial sub-label Laid has commissioned a split 12″ from Berlin’s lauded Workshop family, granting Kassem Mosse and Lowtec one side each. One assumes the two labels share much of the same fan base and so the EP’s outsourcing is a little perplexing. Regardless, both tracks are predictably emblematic of Workshop’s dusty, narcotic take on experimental house.

The truly essential piece here is Kassem Mosse’s “Untitled.” It’s a dense, hypnotic tangle of murky low-end elements, ghostly synth patterns, and sputtering hi-hats, with some subtle changes and breakdowns along the way. As with most of his material, “Untitled” is caked in fuzz, which, in spite of the track’s intricacy, gives the impression that Gunnar Wendel just jammed this one out, his hardware somehow united by that relentless crackle. It remains spontaneous while locked in a persistent trance, one of those special tracks that’s both immediate and labyrinthine. Even as a touring DJ, Wendel continues to preserve that treasured, hauntingly “anonymous” quality: you can almost instantly tell it’s a Kassem Mosse, but it’s anyone’s guess where exactly this music is coming from.

Lowtec’s contribution is an alternate mix of “Use Me,” from the B-side of Workshop 06. The original’s sluggish beatdown shuffle is basically sped up from 33 to 45, and the change is further accentuated by the addition of hissing doubletime hi-hats. It’s a little disappointing to see Lowtec rehashing old material, especially after the brilliance of his track on Workshop 10 earlier this year, but this mix is a fine choice for DJs who were put off by the downtempo pace of the original. The Workshop EP is thus a bit lopsided, but more than worth checking for Kassem Mosse’s track, a benchmark for the Workshop catalog and his own.