Bricks Two: Lily

It often seems like the tracks that stay fresh the longest are the ones with the least embellishment. Stefan Tretau’s spring release on Fortek is one such record. On Bricks Two: Lily, Tretau squeezes a lot of personality out of understated house motifs, assembling a classy and effective handful of tracks in the process. The opening track, Stefan’s own version of Lily, is a funky, uncluttered house tune that makes great use of a dry tonal palette and melodic features. EqF Kid is another big one of Tretau’s well-crafted techno stormers that will easily fit any set played by the likes of Hawtin, Villalobos, Luciano, etc.. This track relies on little more than a fat bassline, a heavy snare, and lightly dispensed sounds to stir up a nice bouncing momentum. The remixes of Lily that are included in this package mark a distinct change in style, ushering great in the ambience and depths of the original. Adrian Martin’s remix features tight and concise drums, liberal use of effects and drifting sounds make this track really ornate. Fortek family member Stefan Mallmann really shines on his take on Lily. Mallmann does draw up some nice minimal sleaziness for sure. All in all Bricks Two: Lily is about as unassuming as house gets, and its delicate attention to rhythm guarantees it a long tenure in the collective DJ crate.