Between Hyperpop’s entry into the mainstream, Gen Z’s adoption of drum’n’bass, and the international success of regional genres such as Footwork and Shingeri, Warpspeed electronic music is everywhere, and as popular music, broadly speaking, ,pace. British producer Alex Godoy, with his work as Itoa, has made his own case on the dance-his musical highway, not stopping at simple genre imitations, and regularly producing his 160-plus songs. I’m recording his BPM. His music draws deeply and freely from the rapid-fire strains of house and techno—classic acid, footwork, bassline, jungle—and manipulates it into a wildly danceable assemblage. Itoa’s songs at their best are jam-packed with intricate moving parts that coalesce into a whole that sounds rubbery and relentless. on his latest EP OhnoGodoy presents some of the most kinetic, funky and strangely beautiful work to date, refining the sound while unlocking promising new skills.
Opener “Wet Brain” kicks things off with slightly unsettling notes, building from timid hi-hats and woodblock rattles to footwork-fueled trance with chirping synths and choppy vocal science. Escalate to Bangor. Most notable is how Godoy seamlessly moves from throbbing dance his music, in and out of unexpected pockets of beatless ambience and back again. His talent for trampling listeners with both beauty and brutality extends to “Girlboss Microplastix.” The song springs forward with a broken drum break before the floor falls and lands in a pocket of ominous stillness, a respite before the drum violence resumes. revenge.
Godoy’s color palette brightens up considerably towards the middle of the EP, at which point things get really fun.The title song is a collaboration with a Japanese performer. Minami Nakamura (Nakamura Minami) hits her staccato, shit-talking flow against an alternately pounding, squealing bassline that wouldn’t be out of place on a SOPHIE record. Unlike other footwork vocalists like Jessy Lanza, who floats dreamily above the mix, or DJ Taye, who races against the clock at lightning speed, the rapper’s jumpy vocals , which fits perfectly in the pocket of the beat and builds every syllable. Unlock the song’s kinetic rhythm and the potential mischief and swagger of Ita’s production.
But the blissful high point is the giant “Catch Eyes,” weaving TB-303’s honed bassline into quick syncopated rhythms. And just as everything is going well, Godoy explodes the song’s groove with an explosion of racing windmill synths and babbling fragmented vocals. A utilitarian, floor-filling dance An artist who excels at making his music, Godoy clearly revels in proving how far a track can tilt off its axis without losing flow. I’m here.