Tal Fussman - The Fine Line In Between: Full Force, and Harmony
Offering us a fresh perspective on dance floor fillers comes Tal Fussman. This newly-emerging producer and DJ has been behind a fair handful of tracks which have caused a ruckus in the community for some time. Fresh ears means fresh perspectives, which in this case, equates to endless exciting productions. Whether it’s EP releases on Exit Strategy, Sum Over Histories or own label Survival Tactics - as well as track selections on other label compilations, Tal brings plenty of vibrancy and chaos, on his own terms.
Big ideas and big sounds seems like a perfectly fitting one-liner for his debut album, ‘The Fine Line in Between’. Built from what Tal describes as a ‘rollercoaster of emotions’, one can only envision the highs and lows in this record - from many angles. And yet, throughout all that’s felt within, comes a collection which never makes us angry or sad. Equally, this album is a collection to create a space for showcasing those big ideas and big sounds. Keeping each title simple allows Tal to force focus on the main thing - the pieces themselves.
A delicate balance of power and melody, like a fine line: a beautifully-bound 12-track collection.
Walking across a path of serenity, to an escape of a natural landscape. ‘No Return’ might not be the usual music move for Tal, but indeed it’s excellent first steps for an album. Weightless and calm, the landscape of the pastel-painted chords float forwards, as the sounds of nature take us through the air: flying, falling, breathing. Soft shades of whirling analogue whistles sing their soul - calling out, daydreaming - soon the silky-smooth melodic keys gather pace; we continue to fly, fall and escape in the mesmorising haze, and just like that, it yearns out its hypnotic crest and allows the dust to settle faintly to the ground.
To follow in the steps of previous, but smudged with hints of where we’re heading, ‘The Fine Line in Between’ is a blend of what momentarily has been - and all that is to come. Just like its name, this track is an acute balancing act. For the Tal followers, the beginning seems no stranger: a strong and kicking opening beat, where all cause of attention, is quite the regular. It’s decorated with a sprinkle of garage and bass elements, such as the tingling hi-hats and those hollow, murky box roars which soon start to shade in some depth; this slow-burning character building - nothing too hasty - shows us Tal clearly understands that patience and progression is key. Yet before we become too comfortable, he wraps us around softer furnishings and we’re left with a taste of wanting more. A taste of the curiosity lingers.
Building blocks towards harder moves, ‘A Subtle Change’ is a key piece to help transform the movement and mood in the album. Here we have a beginning which shakes much faster and stomps that touch stronger: soon crushing the slightly mellow ambience formed before. Like raindrops slashing and sploging at infinite pace, comes that trickling beat which establishes the higher pace. Fumbling and falling, two relapsing chords sing in the bleary horizon, pushing their way through the music. Caught in the moment of this hailstorm, comes a leading beat which whizzes and leads through the mellow atmosphere of it all. Gradually building up and keeping steady, as it’s sure promised, we are carried through gently, left ready for the next big stage.
Now breaking into the dance music avenue, fully fledged and taking a drive towards an upbeat and joyous stride. ‘Move Your Hips’ plays like authentic Chicago house, with a spicy serving of Jackin’ house - fresh wax, straight from the pressers. Enthusiastic and raw, it opens to crystal-encased strings singing crescendo, as the freewheeling piano - filtered with thunderous duds - waltzes along sparingly. Here, Tal brings vocal cuts of “move your hips” and clapbacks of “hah” in this uplifting house-esc sound for that real authentic feel. As the piano dances and carries the track at 125 bpm, it continues to tick the Chicago house boxes, yet the bubbly skipping percussion and warped beat brings that modern Tal touch. Keeping it light and breezy, and as the seconds move forward, the sensations of the punchy piano verse and snatched kick continue to cut. Tumbling - jiving - dancing: all elements feel so physical and alive; the fluidity of ‘Move Your Hips’ is just as prominent as the richness of these added flourishes. It’s a tried, tested and approved number on the dance floor - and its vibrancy shows us exactly why.
There’s a lot of big room appeal to ‘Get By’. It certainly seems to have formed from the footwork of many heavy Detroit chuggers that have bounced high and low across sweltering warehouses. In irony, another word to describe this fifth album serving is minimal: there’s only a handful of layers to this stocky recipe. A blockbuster of a kick drum, backed by echoing pindrops, cements all those big room techno feels, as the simmering hi-hats shake around platinum splurges which push, pull and relapse - the energy, kept spirited. Crossing from the mini breakdown, more swaying is recruited with the chopping claps, and through the electric wires of the second breakdown, the distorted “get by” vocal encourages us to shake our every inch and more. What is given is received in ‘Get By’: from its simple approach comes a simple composition which continues to churn out from start through to end. A cocoon of a track which commands us to lose control; a solid techno cut made to make us move.
Synths, drum rolls and a fusion of funk: ‘Talk To Me’ is straight-up ‘80s-influenced nostalgia. Visions of a disco ball come to mind, the pads spinning around so perfectly whilst the dazzling melody creates a reflective shadow - soon prominent as the harmony builds and bursts upon the floor: bright - impulsive - cartwheeling. Shoulder to shoulder, vogue in its standing, strokes of ultraviolet rays beam up and above. That drum kick, how it kicks and twists energetically. Spinning and swirling to delirious measures, “talk to me” repeats so clearly in a deep tone before the drum ships in and we have a 100% confirmation that this is another dance floor groover. Embellished and emblazed in the shimmering chords, it continues to bask in the shaking hi-hats, vocal hit and grooved melody. No rush in sight - simply relaxing and enjoying the bright and seductive aura it has created.
For all that the album has given, ‘Back Up’ gives us more. The energy, in its relentless and unlimited capacity, astounds from the start. Through the jungle vibes of the bouncing congo beat, to the savage trumpets and tribal chants, the wild and manic mixdown takes a rather animalistic approach, yet, it’s the hypnotic aura which leaves us tranced by the charm. ‘Back Up’ has a clear core purpose - to make us dance. Enter the doldrums, pounding into battle and smashing glass as it gets in the way; energy bubbling as the tension simmers beneath - the chants repeating and mystics whistling. Dipping further into the forever-hardening beat, it soon booms with such candid energy: the drum pad deeper and full of extra vigour - edge to edge, it’s painted with such energetic character. As the juicy rhythm continues, the melody cries and yearns in its solo substance - a breakdown of silky cobwebs shine and refract in the sunlight. And yet, it seems that within all the unwinding, the inceptive energy becomes stronger than ever before: the reprised chants build and burst out to the encore: so much choppier and faster than ever experienced. ‘Back Up’ is a labyrinth of a track, and really shows Tal at his strongest. So much groove, so much intensity with emotion and never, ever, boring us. How he flawlessly blends so much together is a prime example of what a fine producer he is.
Running round and round, in a never-ending circle, ‘Cycler’ sure is a replica of its name. This kinetic formula is a waterfall of rapid movement - patching together dizzying curls, warbling kicks and fuzzled breathes; rolling repeatedly, to uncontrollable dimensions. ‘Cycler’ is a perfect movement piece - no matter where you choose to play it, it will instantly transform the mood and moment. With the curls tornadoing around, so does the energy and this is where the beat kicks in - strutting down a high-energy avenue which blisters and bombs, and so, the sensations pick you up and never let you down. A track which never becomes unscrewed - a looped story of movin’ and shakin’.
On tougher climes comes ‘Funktown’, where solid and raw Detroit techno has risen once more. The result? A stomping electronic composition, packed with sheer velocity enough to rattle bones to dust. ‘Funktown’ exposes no soul in its standing, and its position in the album is rather apt: through the chronological build-up, we’ve naturally progressed onto something so fierce. The drumbeat, pounding and booming aggressively, sets us up once again in a stocky warehouse trance - the big, hearty sound is another must for big-room heads and hearts. Where the shaking hi-hats add rhythm, comes surprisingly timid squelches - treading nervously on the floor, scared of where this intense direction is heading. Its robust soundscape is soon given a boost; the power of vocal “baby, huh” transcends into the booming kaleidoscope and helps save the track from being too bashy and stoic. Continuing this tug of war and armed with strong pelting hammers, ‘Funktown’ allows none of the blazing stomps to lose their strength. This is a track which clearly expresses a release of anger. Equally, it shows strong contrast to the usual funky melodic productions from Tal, noting to us his musical capabilities and ideas.
A journey of 2000s UK sounds, ‘Unconditional’ crafts a floaty dub/garage/bass/jungle mix, into a high dose of sunshine bliss. In its making is a super versatile piece which demands quite a timeless appeal. Balancing calm ambience in progressive form and filled with harder beat snatches and intriguing interjections. Gentle beginnings call out ultra sped-up synthesised keys - that lush electronica which creates said sunshine bliss - and as it beams loudly, in comes the kick. Building slowly into a multidimensional experience, we hear a stifled drum pad tap and sonic whooshes swathe to infinity; primed so gently with calming melody, that when all elements build up and drop, the atmospherics are infinitely sultry; sailing like a dreamboat of mesmerising bliss. Wind gliding and mistry vocals sparkle like magic - what glistening companions for this diamond-encrusted and euphoric ride.
Still reeling from its predecessor, the footprints of dubbed techno goodness still trail into ‘I Will’ - yet as we soon find out, the essence of the remains are taken to savagely-dropping heights. ‘I Will’ is a track shrouded in shyness during its opening composure. The long drawn-out intro, which plays into the bewilderness, has no immediate beat or bassline - instead there’s a collection of confused clangs, wooden chair creaks and fuzzy whips. Those siloed whips - and all other sounds for that matter - soon are guided by a slow-burning alarm, which builds to increase intensity. As 1:26 hits, a skipping shuffle dances solo, before the force ruptures powerfully. In the frame, boxed-in beats try to rattle their way out, pouring into heavy-changing bass, continually tripping. The second hit turns darker - where it blitzes strong and continues to roll harder; the vocal creeks and whips still play into depth. ‘I Will’ is none-the-less devastating than the intensity of other tracks, but it hits differently: this is a track which causes awaited hype on the dance floor: an evolving piece which leaves listener’s jaws dropping and faces gleaming with pleasure.
From the dusk of the album’s beginning, to the sunset of ‘The Chamber’, the album outro. Beatless, as golden-brushed chords flutter, a painting of serenity - just like the intro - envisions our minds again. The dainty melody, which glistens our landscape with frills and chirps, sways and dances in sheer minimal delight. The misty landscape pours bliss from all corners and unifies this wealth of shining melodies, so smooth and bright. As they grow and rise, we’re taken towards a high consciousness - this harmonic road continues to build and never makes a drop. Enchantingly filtering out, the blemishes soon smoulder long into the distance.
Where there’s melody, there’s magic - a mantra which deems so true with Tal. Even with this collection of diverse tracks, he manages to keep the groove and life alive, no matter the direction. Whether it’s the house sounds of ‘Move Your Hips’, or the ‘80s throwback of ‘Talk To Me’, or even dipping into UK garage and techno with ‘Unconditional’, each have been shaped into charismatic floorfillers. The secret ingredient to such success is Tal’s ability to weave melodies through practically any beat or structure. Even in the heaviest of compositions, Tal pours emotion and life into the mix - glossing so fluidly throughout for a unique and knock-out combination. In turn, not only does he manage to recycle old sounds and genres, but he creates an exciting electronic music update - is it any wonder his tracks have been such a hit for plenty?
This is ‘The Fine Line in Between’: a collection of big tunes, made for every room.
review by joanne philpott
‘The Fine Line In Between’ was released on June 2nd on Sulvival Tactics