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Cassette
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AT 016CS
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Lerosa's fourth full-length, Catena, is also his second for Berlin-via-LA label Acid Test. It sees the Dublin-based producer once again draw deeply on his diverse influences -- dub, industrial, electro, trance, funk, IDM -- and transform them into a sound signature that has always been uniquely his own. This alchemy is no accident. Rather it is driven by Lerosa's ongoing pursuit of the fundamental meaning of dance music: to immerse ourselves in sound to the point where our only desire is to move and feel in the moment. Hence how, on Catena, the slow and sensual sway of a cavernous bit of dub can sit side-by-side with hands-up trance-like ecstasy, and all still sound like Lerosa. This achievement is the result of a dedicated daily studio practice. Each track starts from a dynamic studio jam in which Lerosa plays drum machines and synthesizers live and then overdubs them with further modulated layers. He uses looping techniques to build up the density of certain instruments while mixing the layers on-the-fly, using something as unassuming as an iPad. This imbues each track with a spontaneous shifting quality that defines the entire album. What comes through is a sound that speaks of Lerosa's love for the studio, for the tangible substance of an audio frequency -- analog and digital, raw and processed, pure and saturated -- and the intangible, indeed bewitching mystery of how these frequencies can transport you to other places.
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12"
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ACIDTEST 016EP
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Accompanying the cassette album of Lerosa's fourth full-length, Catena (AT 016CS), this heavyweight 12" features two originals from the album and two remixes from familiar faces: childhood friend Donato Dozzy and long-time fellow traveler Jordan GCZ (of Juju & Jordash). Album closer "Suite De Paris" places pitch-bent liquid acid over a huge skanking bassline, the perfect material for Dozzy to make hay with his simmering techno take. Meanwhile, album opener "Apollo" churns with industrial fervor, before Jordan GCZ reduces it down to its acid techno essence, leaving little space for you to catch your breath.
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2LP
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AT 010LP
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Acid Test on the record: "To know Lerosa is to have a huge amount of respect for him. The Dublin-based, Italian producer isn't concerned with the limelight. Rather, his studio philosophy resembles the Japanese concept of 'kaizen' a workman-like, incremental improvement. Leopoldo Rosa's debut for Acid Test is the producer's first album in eight years, but since then he's put out in the neighborhood of 15 EPs for the likes of Idle Hands, Ferox, and Saft, honing in on his own lush sound, which weaves effortlessly between deep house, acid and electro. He applies all these patient lessons on Bucket Of Eggs, the ten masterful tracks fit perfectly within the label's concept. Yet Rosa, like the label's stable of 303 auteurs (Tin Man, Recondite, John Frusciante, Pepe Bradock) opens up bold new vistas for the subgenre. On 'Conjurors', he spends half the track building up atmosphere so thick and dubby you could cut it with a knife, before introducing an acid line and jack track heralding back to the acid's maddening, revolutionary roots. About halfway through the set, Lerosa is done setting the stage, and thusly delivers a string of freakishly good late night tracks. For Lerosa, the hips and the head work in concert -- 'One Is Too Short''s no-nonsense rhythm section perfectly balanced by the track's dreamy synth and zero-gravity piano breaks. On 'Self Inflicted', he joins a rarified class, synthesizing electro funkiness, widescreen ambience, and acid counterpoint. On initial contact, Lerosa's Bucket Of Eggs feels astonishing, an expertly-paced, near-perfect LP. But for those who have been following the low-key producer, it feels like a natural culmination."
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12"
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EUDEMONIA 002EP
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Theme Of Perception, Lerosa's 25th solo EP will be released on German label eudemonia. Known for his deep-house sound, the Dublin-based producer showcases a different palette for this release. The four tracks gravitate somewhere between electro, Italo, synthwave and imaginary film themes. "Glider" opens by combining acid drops and dystopian sci-fi elements. "The Minister" is slower and serves as an emotional homage to those gone too soon. "Plateau Rosa" connects Italo and Detroit with a rolling bassline and glassy synth clouds. Cover by Irish artist Sibyl Montague.
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12"
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RSOON 013EP
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"LeRosa is Dublin-based Italian producer Leopoldo Rosa. The title track 'Ruski' combines a rough-cut sampled break with a loose, minimal arrangement of sub-bass and liquid synth pads. On the flip, 'Russell' and 'Tempio' are deep, moody house explorations, beautifully suspended by shifting sine wave pads and Rhodes-like chords. Leo began producing his own music in 2000, concentrating initially on electro but broadening his range into unconventional house and techno styles. His debut LeRosa release was the Maike EP on Dublin's D1 Recordings in 2005."
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