Priori
9
Kynant
Priori is kind of unstoppable right now. Even if you set aside all the great work he’s doing alongside fellow Montrealer Patrick Holland—both in their Jump Source project and behind the scenes with artists with james K, Car Culture and Tiga—his solo output has reached new heights during the past few years, bridging the divide between blissed-out prog and the cloudy expanse of dub techno. His move into the latter genre has been especially satisfying, and reached a previous zenith with “Send Them,” his standout contribution to legendary vocalist Paul St. Hilaire’s fantastic w/ the Producers album on the Kynant label.
It’s not easy to shine on a record that also includes tracks produced by the likes of Mala, Batu, Aurora Halal, Shinichi Atobe and a string of other top-shelf talents, but Priori did just that, his steppy rhythm providing the perfect backdrop to St. Hilaire’s reverb-soaked meditations. Less than six months later, he’s returned to Kynant with an EP of his own, 9, on which his deceptively muscular strain of dub techno is given the room to fully blossom.
While many of his contemporaries are making floaty tunes that are arguably better suited to an hour in a flotation tank than a trip across the dancefloor, Priori never skimps on the low-end dynamics, populating even his gauziest productions with stompy drum patterns and robust bass blooms. The EP’s title track is particularly sturdy, and though “Isolation Dub” has a more ethereal vibe, it still unfolds with a confidently cool swagger. And speaking of cool, there’s no arguing with the charisma of Gavsborg, whose moody baritone adds some emotional heft to the buoyant haze of opening number “Nesting Chamber.” It’s not an official sequel to “Send Them,” but it is a clear sign that Priori has a real knack for working with dub and dancehall vocalists.