London duo serve up smooth beats, but could do better
London- based duo Echaskech provide beats aplenty with the download-only release of 'Popstars', taken from their forthcoming cleverly titled album 'Skechbook'. Echaskech DJ's Dom and Andy have been together in one form or another for many years, having played in different incarnations of the band and an orchestra as kids. Their current sound couldn't be any further away from their classical roots.
'Popstars' is a rather relaxed affair, consisting of steady, smooth electro beats and interesting synth melodies combined with rather infrequent, heavily distorted vocals. The consistent beat is bolstered by neat ambient effects, but despite this, in my opinion, it never really gets going. You can't help but find yourself waiting expectantly for a more elaborate beat to kick in to really move things along. Unfortunately it never arrives, causing things to become a little repetitive. It's disappointing because these guys clearly have a lot to offer, they just need a little more variety to keep things interesting. Definitely worth a listen for chillout or mild electro fans, but these boys can, and I'm sure will, do better.