Theo Parrish
Smile
Sound Signature
Theo Parrish has built a timeless sound within techno – his version of soulful, relaxed, broken-beat boogie and moody house is a blueprint now, or perhaps Footprint is the better term. And so I wonder sometimes about his modern music – whether it was made way back…
And then when I step back to listen to his late-90s works I sometimes think they sound contemporaneous to what he’s up to right now.
That is very much the case here with new release, Smile. In fact this album is a patch-up of two earlier EPs, newly reissues, sandwiched together.
But god it is good!
And it kicks off with the title track – which was originally released in 1997 as a 12” alongside accompany track here, Lost Keys.
Smile is so upbeat – it practically floats. Beautiful vibes and glossy keys. Lovely.
Lost Keys hits an even jazzier stride, the keyboard taking prominence over a slippery acid-jazz drum-groove. It totally feels like a throwback to listen to it now – but it also doesn’t feel too different to some of Parrish’s more recent releases.
The other two songs – all four clock in around the 10-minute mark or over so this is definitely album length (and quality) – come from a 2001 12” release.
Dreamer’s Blues is a collaboration between Theo and Jerry The Cat and kicks off with a lovely brushed-snare pattern that evolves into some classic early 00s downbeat vibes; remember people called it “Café Culture” and naff shit like that. The marketing was atrocious but the music was good. And this holds up across its loping waft 20 years on.
Dreamer’s Blues was originally paired with Lost Angel and together they remain, forming the back half of this “new” album. Angel isn’t anywhere near as dark as Parrish would go but it is the deepest cut here, and the sonics are purposely flat, drum-machine handclaps ringing out over a minor-chord keyboard vamp.
I love this guy’s music – it’s the perfect background-drift for me. And here, something old and borrowed never sounds too blue and in fact feels brand new.
https://linktr.ee/Simonsweetman
