[Circus Company]

French producer Frederic Aubourg first debuted in 1997 as Skat, but his career didn’t take off until 2004 when he started a string of releases for Karat, Sthmlaudio, and more recently Eklo. Aubourg can also be found producing under the Russian-sounding alias, Oleg Poliakov, turning in one Circus Company single per year since 2007. Despite the distinctive moniker, most Poliakov tracks blend in all too well with their nuevo “deep house” surroundings. “Rainy Dayz” makes headway towards a more distinguishable sound, though perhaps for the wrong reasons.

If you’re looking for yet another “deep house” track defined by its diva vocal shards and slight synth progressions, drop the needle on A1. The whole presentation is so neat and orderly even a few inspired stabs at splashy leads can’t mask how middling “Rainy Dayz” ends up being. Thankfully, Alan Abrahams swoops in under his Portable guise to pump up the personality. Fans of his Musik Krause B-side “The Shallow” will find much to enjoy in his interpretation, which plays up the melancholy of gloomy weather. Abrahams sprinkles a cascade of desiccated percussion in vaguely African rhythm patterns, punctuating wistful pads and woefully intones, “Oh rainy days.” Yet there’s some vigor to be had as zesty piano melodies arrive to lighten the mood and lodge themselves in listeners’ heads.

Poliakov makes another attempt stand out with “House Of The Sun” and in some ways succeeds. Its droning violin foundation has me approvingly thinking about The Velvet Underground, but a tortured vocalist moaning about “the house of the sun” steals some of the track’s thunder. He’s mercifully chased away by a potent combo of dubby 16th notes and brushed hi-hats, but somehow he’s allowed to return and disrupt the flow again. Without the whinging guest star “House Of The Sun” would’ve gone toe-to-toe with Portable’s fantastic remix for best cut. Instead, “Rainy Dayz” struggles to find the right balance of personality and instead lands in the “at least he’s trying” pile.