Half/Past – Furkan Cedimoğlu (reviewed by Dave Franklin)

Where the pulse and pace of the clubland dancefloor meet the late-night vibes and relaxation of the chill-out room, you find the music of Furkan Cedimoğlu. His new ep, Half/Past, four songs where titular brevity is king, is an excellent blend of the sophisticated uptown exclusive nightclub cool, calm, collected, and gentle dance groove.

End, ironically, the opening sonic salvo here, is a slow-burning slice of gold, rising through spacious beats and slowly wrapping all manner of tones and textures around itself, a bubbling synth riff here, a ticking drum sample there, chiming electronica and additional rhythmic devices, so that it ebbs and flows elegantly between the understated and the energetic.

Night is a more forceful track, one that pulses with confident beats and lush electronic washes but which again wanders between lulling lows and more measured interludes and, having reduced everything to a relaxed and restrained state, hits upwards towards sonic crescendoes, exploding with euphoric energy as it goes.

By contrast, High takes more dark and delicious routes to reach its point and purpose. Here, the beat bravado and electro-energy are replaced by something more sultry and sensual, dance music it may be, but it tips the listener over into more seductive and mature realms. Sunrise rounds things off, as it does all clubland nights; again, the confident beats are back, guiding washes of ambient sound to build, break and retreat, only to return bigger and bolder until the song evolves in its final stages before fading out altogether.

Clubland music is ubiquitous these days, but there is always room for tunes that walk fine lines between one thing and another, between grace and grandeur, gravitas and groove, ambience and energy. Between the potential of now and the possibilities of the future.