It’s rare for a record to make it so unmistakably clear what Acid Phase is, even semantically. In case of Keith Farrugia aka Acid Synthesis, who is responsible for the third of three catalogue numbers on the Planet 303 label with »State Of Being«, what’s on the label is inside the tin: acid. The names of the other two releases: »Welcome To Planet 303« and »Acidwerk«. Clearly, a hopeless purist is at work here, a keep-it-real craftsman. All four tracks on the current EP are infused with high-quality 303 work with a delicate trance touch that puts club suitability before half-baked experimentation. The opener and title track throws open the wormhole into the acidic parallel universe and relies entirely on the basic virtues and skills of acid bass lines and melodies over ten and a half minutes on a straight beat: Complete forgetfulness of time with simultaneous excess, the higher-further-faster that has become musical. »303 Dreams« opens a little lower, but relatively seamlessly, and even intersperses breakbeats. »Down The Line« starts off ambient and trancey before the buzz kicks in after 40 seconds. Moderation, purification, hopeless reverie are negotiated in a long break. »Functional« – also with a heartwarming honest title – is characterised by a kick-snare combo over which kitschy textures and a commanding acid line are superimposed. An EP that is reliably and relentlessly acidic.
State Of Being
