[Mojuba]

Whoever hides behind the Oracy moniker has done a fantastic job of evading the press; so in lieu of any relevant biographical information, here’s the definition of “oracy”: the ability to express oneself in and understand spoken language. Use it to poke fun at your friends’ and enemies’ intelligence! As with their first two releases, the “Rewound” 12″ arrives courtesy of vinyl fetishists Mojuba, whose Hard Wax-exclusive, marbled yellow vinyl run of 94 copies might as well be delivered in their own safe.

For those who go deep, “Rewound” is a gaping cavern of deep techno sonorities, and sounds as if it were composed on the dustiest vintage of synthesizer/drum machine taken from a Detroit basement. Barely moving except for a rain-on-tin-roof percussion pattern, the tune’s guttural bass tone squelches like a digesting stomach and its hearty, humming drones hover in place. Though a more energetic Detroit-inspired synth progression emerges from the fog, the relaxed nature of “Rewound” may be too sedate for dance floor use. That’s where its flipside, “Hold Me,” comes in. It’s nearly as hazy, but Oracy’s incandescent array of pads and synth lines are anchored to the floor by rotund kicks and a calming set of vocalized directions (eg. “This time… don’t talk… just do”). Its introspective tone could be quite life-affirming for the dancers arriving early or staying late enough to hear it played out. Personality mystery aside, Oracy’s ambitions for a gauzy club atmosphere are clear and certainly realized on “Rewound.”