Review: On the Floor - X-Ray Ted

Undoubtedly, my highlight of this weekend has been the Swing & Bass livestreamed house party. Set over two days, this is the first livestream I’ve attended which has genuinely felt like a real festival, and the line-up was second-to-none. Featuring the likes of JFB, Mr Switch, Duke Skellington, WBBL, Extra Medium, Skank Spinatra and many more – and lasting over twelve hours in total – the event was a fantastic way to spend two evenings in a row. One of the absolute highlights of the show was X-Ray Ted, who played an early set on the Saturday evening – fairly well-timed, as he had just released a new EP the day prior, On the Floor.

The EP kicks off with the title track, which throws you straight in with that funky sound, with a bit of a rock ’n’ roll feeling too. For such a short sample – effectively a one-bar guitar lick – it’s impressive to see just how much is done to successfully maintain interest over the piece, and it never seems to lose steam. The song has such a great groove, which works considerably well alongside the beat – both from the standard drums, and the additional percussion; and it’s clear that once this can be played out in the clubs, the quoted lyrics “get on the floor” are almost certain to be obeyed.

The next track, ‘Chopsy’s New Groove’ starts off on a blues vibe, which is complimented by the emergent funk in a really smooth way. Again, working with short samples is what X-Ray Ted appears to do best; and he seems to be a master at this cut ’n’ paste technique. There’s a really groovy saxophone solo over a terrific bassline – which is subtle, but effective. It demonstrates that not everything has to be in-your-face all the time to have an impact; in fact, across the board, the mix is great. I really like some of the understated syncopation too – a nice touch.

And then – we’re finished. A surprisingly short release; to be honest, I’d be more inclined to call it a single than an EP – but this is the way it’s marketed, so this is how I’ll refer to it. X-Ray Ted is a great producer to have in this scene, and I’m very glad we’re being kept entertained with little releases such as this one – even though I do wish it were longer. As part of a particularly prolific group of funky DJs in Bristol, he’s certainly in strong company, and releases of this quality will continue to ensure that he remains one of the most compelling.