Or:la’s Céad label returns this month with a new EP from former SOS collective member Demi under his ASOY alias. Listen to the title track, ‘3 Boys In Trouble’ below.
The first release on the Derry-born, Liverpool-based artist’s imprint since NIKS’ May 2024 EP ‘Milieu’ is a significant one. Or:la – who released her debut LP ‘Trusting Theta’ on fabric Originals last year – first met the London-based Cypriot producer 15 years ago when she attended one of his gigs in her hometown The three-track EP arrives as a sort of full circle moment for both of them, with the ASOY serving up three cuts of syncopated club thunder that fit Céad’s remit for bassy experimentation while retaining a firm rooting in foundational techno and electro.
Speaking about the title track, ASOY said: "‘3 Boys In Trouble’ was inspired by an insane collection of live drum recordings from a bunch of street kids in Harlem growing up in the ‘50s. Coupled with various other percussion samples from other corners of my vinyl collection, it began to set the tone for the track, which was to keep it tribal with a very primal feel that maintained a tension all the way through."
On the B-side, ‘Pleasure Pulse’ keeps that percussive wire buzzing, all hardware clatter and low-end squelch. Describing that track, he said: “‘Pleasure Puss’ began as a raw sketch recording experiment a decade ago on a Tascam 424 recorder I was using for a drum machine. It was a huge departure from any other style I'd been making at that time. Even though it made little sense to release at the time, it resonated deeply all the same and, like with many of the projects from yesteryear, I always believed it was a matter of time and place before it found its own little space and corner to exist."
Seoul’s Closet Yi – who recorded a mix for DJ Mag’s Fresh Kicks series back in 2021 – rounds the EP out with a stripped-back remix of the title track, lasering in on the percussion for a typically effervescent, mood-building rework.
'3 Boys In Trouble' will be released on 15th March. Pre-order it here.