[Novel Sound]

There’s an inherent problem with dance music criticism. Does a critic judge tracks based more on their dance floor functionality or as pieces of music in their own right? The music side of criticism comes first, so generally we focus on the latter, but we all know uninspired and utilitarian records that can still cause major damage on the floor. Calling these tracks out is necessary, but those who contend that these tracks have a redeeming quality in their functionality perhaps have a point. The great thing about Levon Vincent is that this issue simply does not exist with him. He has crafted massive tracks that slay dance floors worldwide, and yet each is an engaging slice of music, simultaneously boundary pushing and classically-indebted. Novel Sound’s fifth transmission — its first since 2009 — sees Vincent release one of his biggest and best tracks so far, accompanied by two more than worthy B-side attractions.

One aspect that sets Vincent’s music apart from his peers’ is his arrangements. I must have listened to the samples of “Man or Mistress” almost a hundred times before I got my hands on a copy, and were he a lesser producer it would be easy to construct the whole track in your head from that one-minute-thirty-second sample. My attempts at this were dead wrong, as instead of just looping a solid hook for eight minutes or so, Vincent really takes the listener on a ride. He teases at first, playing around with an elastic bass line until that synth line comes in, swirling up a storm of percussion and further rave sounds with it. It grows to monstrous heights, with the rave-lead widening in frequency space and one or two moments where the floor seems to fall out from below you as the kick deepens. A tumbling, plucked coda closes out proceedings once things have simmered down; and these multiple switch-ups are part of what make “Man or Mistress” unlike anything else out there right now.

Side B is no slouch either, with “Making Headway” offering an engaging hybrid of Trax-style house and Oni Ayhun electrical noises, while “No Regrets” is a reflective dub-house burner, complete with Vincent’s own vocals. These two tracks flesh out the EP into a fully engaging front-to-back listen rather than just a vehicle for the A-side, as they show Vincent’s malleability both in terms of mood and texture. “Making Headway” in particular sees him play with some seriously gritty textures, ones that quickly storm in and threaten to overturn the track but quickly subside — an effect that has come to be one of Vincent’s signatures. While other producers may be fine with producing populist dreck to fill dance floors, Vincent’s idiosyncratic style and captivating arrangements allows him take chances and emerge with tracks that feel like proper events. “Man or Mistress” is the kind of track that sticks in your mind for all the right reasons, and is surely one of this year’s most notable releases.