Rave Review: Blu:sh - Dopamine Riot

Some albums take a scenic route before reaching the dancefloor, while others kick the door in. Dopamine Riot, the new EP from Blu:sh, belongs squarely to the latter camp. Following a lush, dub-forward release for Kalahari Oyster Cult earlier this year, Blu:sh shifts into higher gear for this outing on Step Ball Chain, delivering a tightly wound set of house jackers built for peak-time release.

Don't get me wrong, the dubby grooves are still very much intact. These tracks carry a muscular heft, the kind of weight that demands jacking limbs and reckless movement. Yet none of them feel overcrowded. Despite their full-bodied presence, each cut is afforded plenty of room to breathe, suspended in a thick, seductive haze.

This is body music in the purest sense. It gets under your skin and takes control. The swagger radiating from these tracks would border on pretension if they weren't having so much fun. Each one serves as a catalyst for confident kink and sumptuous braggadocio, carving out a space where inhibitions dissolve and fantasies take hold.

And these tracks are laced with something. Vocals materialize out of the mix like audio hallucinations, drifting across the rhythms like a mirage shimmering above hot pavement. This effect is perhaps best captured on "Chipie," where a vocal sample is chopped into a chip-tune stutter that ricochets alongside the beat. It's the equivalent of trying to follow a conversation while in a K-hole—don't ask me what the voice is saying.

For a six-track EP, Blu:sh doesn't miss. Every cut on Dopamine Riot lands with the force of peak party time, offering nearly thirty minutes of pure dancefloor indulgence. By the time it's over, you'll emerge on the other side, wildest fantasies satisfied and completely out of breath.

(The Lunatic is an Austin, Texas–based raver spreading the good word through his reviews and blog—and by selling the wildest fucking electronic vinyl around.)