Electronic Sound May 2015 (Regular Edition) | Page 39

and inspired the ethos of ‘Insides’. His
impressive studio set-up has expanded
too. As well as the trusty DX7, the
arsenal of machinery this time around
includes a Moog Voyager, a Roland Juno
6 and a Korg 770, all of which are put to
good use.

FORT ROMEAU

Insides

GHOSTLY INTERNATIONAL
Luxurious, atmospheric house tunes for
clubbing and contemplation

Rather than restricting himself to fourminute bangers, the extended house
cuts here – undulating and considered,
deftly embroidered with rich detail and
electronic flourishes – are given ample
space to breathe and shine. Greene
embraces the dancefloor throughout,
as with the full-bodied ‘Folle’, which is
reminiscent of Spanish DJ/producer John
Talabot’s acclaimed album ‘ƒin’, and
the fat, resonant, spacey beats of ‘All
I Want’. Both are guaranteed to rattle
your bones. But for all its hip-shaking
moments, ‘Insides’ is also an eclectic
record that wears its obvious style and
broad influences on its sleeve.

big on atmosphere, pinging synths and
lustrous production, to the chugging,
jacked-up Vangelis beats of the title
track. There’s a temporary blip when
‘Lately’ veers perilously close to new
age filler territory, but order is quickly
restored with the majestic final track,
‘Cloche’, in which Greene channels sonic
guru Pantha du Prince, as brisk minimal
beats gently clatter and collide with a
gorgeous array of bells, billowing synths
and twinkles.
Although Mike Greene is keen to play
down any suggestion of his music being
derivative, ‘Insides’ is ostensibly rooted
in the signature tropes of Chicago house,
albeit redefined with a 21st century
patina, while dabbling in seminal genres
of decades gone by – kosmische, disco
and early electronica, for example. But
then you’d expect nothing less from a
self-confessed crate-digging obsessive.
VELIMIR ILIC

You get the sense that Fort Romeau –
the alter ego of London-based producer
and DJ Mike Greene – isn’t really a guy
who likes to rush things. As an advocate
of “slow listening”, enriching relationships
with music through careful attention and
focus, he most definitely practices what
he preaches.

It’s definitely an album dressed to kill
and thrill, from the opening ‘New Wave’,

The understated housey grooves on
‘Insides’ are inherently suited to the
hours after dark, be it via the dancefloor
or headphones: it’s a record that very
much spins out at its own pace and
on its own terms. It’s also one to fully
indulge and luxuriate in. After all, anyone
who manages to tease atmospheric,
shimmering house tunes out of just
a Yamaha DX7 and an old laptop,
as Greene did so brilliantly on Fort
Romeau’s 2012 debut album ‘Kingdoms’,
surely deserves your full attention.
With this second album, his sound has
evolved into something even more
abundant, honed over the last three
years through a spate of EPs and DJ
stints at some of Europe’s best clubs,
experiences that have directly fed into

Pic: Anthony Gerace