Boot & Tax – Brace Brace EP

Behind the next release on Meant Records are Italian duo Boot & Tax, a relatively new pairing made up of Claudio Brioschi and Cristian Croce. Here they serve up three great originals baced with a stellar remix from Alien Alien.

Before now, Boot & Tax have released two extremely well received EPs on JD Twitch’s Optimo Trax and have also recently had their music licensed to Erol Alkan’s Fabric live 77, so the pair are really on the up.

Title track ‘Brace Brace’ is first and is an elastic, analogue workout with gurgling synth lines riding up and down atop steely drums as punky vocals come on at various intervals. Acid and electro, techno and house all get bottled up in the arrangement, which is fresh and just what you would expect of someone backed by JD Twitch.

The Alien Alien remix of this one is slow and trudging, purposeful and swampy. Snaking synths, coarse claps and a sense of foreboding pervade this most groovy of slo mo cuts.

‘Niente Per Niente’ is a dark but balearic feeling bit of chugging disco, with big licks and groaning bass all gliding along at an inviting tempo. Breathy female ad libs add a sense of character to the shadowy drums and ensure this one will set parties like ALFOS on fire. Lastly, ‘Balkan Youth’ gets much more cosmic with its flipping synths, twinkly melodies and rattling percussive patterns. Ascending ever higher, it takes you on a ride through the cosmos and dumps you out somewhere altogether happier.

This is sure to be a breakout release for Boot & Tax who seem right at the heart of the analogue disco revolution.