zev eisenberg is the lesser spotted dj of the two wolf & lamb confreres (if you don’t know why, find out genuinely inspirationally by reading this), with his productions, too, less numerous than those of his partner. his (i think) last outing, ‘don’t break it’, was a beautifully deconstructed effort which gurgled in house music’s seedy underbelly, where the betta days ep is more lightfooted, with both being standout in their field.
opener ‘alright’ has fractious, snappy snares hustling radiant, rippling synths to go faster, but they won’t… instead the track hangs in a state of perpetual awakening, allowing you to get lost in amongst it as your body slowly gets into a groove . as soon as ‘that’s all’ starts, though, both mind and heart melt into the lofty, ethereal sounds which wash out of the speakers and into your soul. a kick drum drops in but the vibe is already set and you float along on top of it rather than dance along with it. a sparse but throbbing bassline cocoons you yet further in zev’s pure, uncluttered world.
and so to the title track, betta days, which is still pure and unfussy, but one which trundles along with a much heavier heart and loose, aloof drums which scuff along with heavy heels. muted, tinkling keys and soft focus synths swirl in a starry night sky up-top, as the depths below swell with increasing dolour. though there’s a sense of end-of-the-world-doom, the minor key optimism signals we needn’t worry, for (well look at that, the title’s perfect) betta days are ahead… like all his records, it’s enchanting stuff that occupies a space which seems a million miles detached from the impetuous struggle that, generally, is the real world.
supernature regular ali nasser remixes first ‘alright’ (into a simple, warm house bubbler) and then ‘that’s all’ into a more structured, propulsive and slightly less blissed-out version, but never steals the limelight from betta days, a cut which has, at least me, wishing the man behind it would release more often.