Kurt Baggaley - Magic of Human EP

HOTMIX

Habitually known as Scape One and interminably known for his prolific nature, Baggaley uses Simoncino’s fledgling yet schedule-packed HotMix Records imprint to introduce the world to his passport name. Comprised of some new cuts and a couple of reused Bandcamp tracks not previously committed to wax, ‘Magic of Human’ is another collection indebted to the ‘Man + Machine’ ethos of Detroit electro. However for the most part, these tracks convey a more ethereal palate and less dancefloor-orientated edge than a lot of his Scape One output.

‘Population Too Late’ kicks things off at a moderate pace where a sampled vocal espouses ‘energy reduction’ and a repetition of the song title amidst duelling melodies. ‘Tractor Beam’ takes matters up a couple of icy notches with a minimal arrangement before ‘Fires You See’ revels in a warm, echo-laden polyphony. ‘Demands of Intimacy’ comes awash with soaring synth lines & elementary melodies that makes for a breezy, sun-speckled tune before ‘Magic of Human’ ups the tempo & darkens the tone. A bedraggled urchin amongst the lightness of the rest of the EP, ‘Magic of Human’ is a highlight, containing enough squalid instrumentation & attitude to question the aptness of such an optimistic song title. In summary, another fine addition to an ever-increasing and ever-impressive Baggaley body of work.

Paul Fanning

Kurt’s Soundcloud page