REVIEW : DJ Boring // Like Water
DJ Boring isn’t your average disc jockey. In recent years, his music has questioned the mannerisms of cerebral producers and mocked chin-scratching audience members. Tristan Hallis likes to move and have fun when he performs, and that can be felt in every stitch of his new opus Like Water. This EP contains 4 tracks that were meant to be performed live as part of an headlining multimedia show. A few months of quarantine later and boom, Like Water hits the streaming platforms via Ninja Tune’s sub-label Technicolour.
The titular track Like Water opens the album, announcing the neon colors that swirl throughout the album. The drums are bright and well balanced with the synths. The bass elements are deep and everything in the mix has that modern edge, that crispy digital feel. Yet, the track feels retro, from the 909 drums to the squelchy lead, it falls somewhere between garage from the 90s and futuristic hyperpop. The phrase “Like water”, repeated like a mantra, resonates like an invitation to dive deep in a new sonic universe, to liquify oneself.
Another Day follows a similar modus operandi, with it’s energetic 909 drums and a synth lead patch that would’ve been right at home soundtracking an 8-bit Capcom video game. Stockholm Syndrome sends back to the track Stuck in Russia from the producer’s 2018 opus For Tahn. Same controlled chaos, same love for aleatory IDM synths.
Declined through myriad of idiosyncratic choices, the 3 first tracks of the album feel playful, sometimes even tongue-in-cheek, but they also have an emotional feel. The more I listen to them, the more they mean to me, whether that was the intent or not.
The album closer Seems Like Yesterday is a little less impish, although the saw lead that runs through it supplies enough kitsch and weirdness to keep it in line with the other tracks on the EP. Uplifting and enveloping, it’s as if someone found an early demo of his and remastered it to remove all traces of lo-fi grime and dusty ambiance. It is a true shame that current circumstances have deprived us of seeing this track unfold in a live setting, backed by Amir B Jahanbin insane visuals. That would’ve been dope.
As it’s the case with Like Water, I think DJ Boring likes to dig himself in a hole just to see if he can get out. He has all but renegaded is appartenance to the lo-fi house movement, while his hit Winona continues to inspire a generation of bedroom producers. "I made a song that had a tape hiss and people pigeonholed me.”, he explained in an interview with i-D. The fact that he’s not ready to sacrifice creativity for comfort is what makes him a continuously fascinating artist.
At its core, even the name DJ Boring seems like an odd choice, a bit of self-deprecating humor that reveals itself as a vow of chastity. It’s hard to take yourself too seriously when you have a name that would’ve been better suited for a novelty act. It mirrors Hallis’ creative process, as he still considers music production as a hobby, which isn’t to say that he doesn’t pour his soul into it. By “hobby”, I think he means that it’s still a source of pleasure, as opposed to an obligation. His body of work is articulated around discovery, rather than calculation.
This hunger for evolution and immediacy is felt throughout Like Water. It never feels like a definitive statement, or a quest for dance music perfection. It’s a love letter to the left-field music genre. It’s a hand extended to an audience in need of levity. It’s a damn good EP.
Like Water is out now on Technicolour.
Cover credit : Jaeger