Converse, Bill

***Underground hero Bill Converse returns to Dark Entries with Take Parts, perhaps his most muscular and floor-focused work to date. Converse has honed his analog craft since the early days of the Midwest rave scene, absorbing lessons from luminaries like Claude Young and Traxx. His skill as a producer has been established with releases on labels such as Dark Entries, Fit Sound, and Obsolete Futures, and his prowess as a DJ has been witnessed on floors the world over. On Take Parts, Converse peels away the layers of acidic gauze that have characterized much of his work, revealing his sharp grasp of dancefloor dynamics and DJ functionality. While the 808’s, 909’s, and 303’s are on full display, Converse does not indulge in retro-fetishism; he channels the future forward impulse of the originary rave ethos. Tracks like “Stroke” and “What You Have” pit seasick chords and analog squelch atop funky but unsettling loops. The flurry of 808 snares on “Measurement (Of What?)” nods towards both footwork and jungle, but feels ultimately planted in a world of Converse’s own. With the acid-electro masterpiece “Take Apart”, Converse implores us to both join him in this new world and reconfigure the one we’re living in now. The 6-tracks on Take Parts present a new focus for Converse, and will excite DJ’s and thrill dancers.