LAFT bring out Maple

Norway-based duo LAFT tease their upcoming album New Objectivity with Maple, a superb single backed up with an alternative house version.

Photo by Alexander Sylte

This pair is made up of Badabing Diskos label boss Håkon Vinnogg who is best known for his fresh disco and house sounds as Vinny Villbass. He is a core part of the Scandinavian underground with releases on an array of top labels. Here he works with Tomas Järmyr, an accomplished percussionist and formally trained jazz master who is in groups such as Motorpsycho and Årabrot and has toured with Pantha Du Prince's The Bell Laboratory. Their forthcoming album is a triumph of live musicianship, skilled arrangement, and the sweet fusion of cosmic synth work and original house grooves.

"Maple" is a richly layered track with shuffling drums and warm, gooey bass. The molten synths that pan about the mix constantly evolve as the bass does its own dance below. Wooden block hits, distant solar winds and subtle, wordless vocals all help bring this track to life in magnificent fashion.

The House version is tweaked for club play - it retains the lush musicality of the original, but with more physical drums. They unfold in fresh, broken patterns with more tense synth leads and an eerie atmosphere making this perfect for the late-night hours.

LAFT - Maple
Release Date January 2023
Label Badabing Diskos

Tracklist
1. Maple
2. Maple (House Version)