Feline flirtation overlays something darkly alluring, in a smudged eyeliner, baby pink kind of sex appeal. It's witching hour, and she dances with careless intensity. Usually, tech house is too industrial for my girly tastes, but this one is just the right amount of deep and minimal to be mysterious, and the right amount of feminine to be provocative. I like it.
Who is Andre Salmon? He is a French poet, art critic, writer, and early defender of Cubism who died in 1969. He is also a producer from Guayaquil, Ecuador. A strong force behind the country's budding electronic music scene, he is the creator of Maniacs, a label and collective founded on the idea that music should be shared freely without costs or copyright restrictions. In Salmon's own words, they only want to "spread the love." Maniacs has no digital store; instead, free downloads of all releases are posted on their website.
The collective's sound ranges from bass to techno, but Salmon's own productions stick to deep house, mostly remixes of familiar names like Gotye, James Blake, Lady Gaga, and Daft Punk. "Where is the Salmon" is one of his few originals, released in April 2013 through Family Matters Records. His original music is distinctly minimal compared to his remixes, the former of which I personally prefer and hope to hear more of in the future.
The first half of "Where is the Salmon" is entirely instrumental, slowly introducing new layers and building the beat. It's like a sneaky crescendo to what would be some sort of climax, but instead, the vocals creep and blend in with catlike nonchalance. While I admit to having an unnatural penchant for cats and therefore an interpretive bias, the vocals' softly nasal quality and monotony can only insinuate a cat's meow (plus points in my book). To stretch it even further, it's no coincidence that the title is "Where is the Salmon," a question any good feline would ask. Cat references aside, I love that there's enough space between each downbeat to tease a little, and a bounce that lifts this track from mechanic repetition to coquettish play. Must to dance to this track. Meow!
