Musicians since their early teenage years, M.F.S:Observatory first surfaced in 2010, with their inaugural releases arriving in 2012. Heavily influenced by the likes of Daft Punk, Maya Jane Coles, Four Tet, Butch and Santè, theirs is a wide-ranging sound – and as such it’s hardly surprising their music has been picked up by a wide range of discerning, eclectic and globally-respected labels. From Little Helpers to AlphaHouse to Flashmob Records to W&O Street tracks and Roush, they continue to win favour from some of the scene’s most influential outlets.
In 2016 the duo kicked off their own, appropriately-named Observatory Music imprint, a label that’s played host to some of their finest releases to date. The home for their letter series (whereby the boys release an EP dedicated to each letter of the alphabet), it’s seen them release a staggering amount of expertly-curated EPs, with a range of esteemed names throwing their support behind each release.
In 2017, the boys also embarked on arguably their biggest remix project to date: remixing Maya Jane Coles for Skint Records. Handpicked by Maya to remix her track ‘Weak’, the boys turned in an expert remix that paid homage to the original while also showcasing their own flair for remixing in some fashion.
In much the same way that Cocoon regularly release V/A packages around the focus of a letter, the boys have been doing something similar, with ’T’ the latest offering on their Observatory Music label. As always, the track titles are simple — but the upfront and in-your-face vibes are anything but.
Kicking off the release is of course, the sounds of ‘T1’. Full of lashings of white noise and a bulbous baseline that lingers underneath before exploding amongst a cacophony of colour, it marks a quite brilliant start to an EP that’s never lacking in drama. ‘T2’ is a more full-bodied, rounded track and one that’s even more up-tempo than its predecessor. It’s the vocal that takes the spotlight here, however. Using the vocal as the spine of the track, the boys turn in a frankly madcap cut that’s not for the feint of heart but is sure to sound quite special when dropped at the right time.
‘T3’ sees the triumphant house vibes continue with some momentum. A clever, trippy, drum-focused workout that starts off on a relatively innocuous tip, it soon emerges into a fierce and spirited cut that’s never without vigour or colourful aesthetics. Another classy cut, it paves the way nicely for ‘T4’, an acid-laced techno workout that showcases a different side to the boys’ sound aesthetic. Concluding track ‘T5’ meanwhile, is full of menacing kicks and off-kilter synths. A fine indication of the lads’ many talents, the latest in the Observatory Music story is definitely something worth cherishing.
