VONDA7 – Pure Intentions EP (art | werk, AW001)

Our Saturday selection: VONDA7 – Pure Intentions EP (art | werk, AW001)

Following on from her stellar addition to Monki’s &Friends label – Polish producer VONDA7 continues her steady ascent and inaugurates a brand new project: art | werk with 4 deeply personal yet effective tracks.

The principle behind art | werk is to allow space for movement towards the left, to allow for full creative control and to provide a platform for the listener as well as the dancer with tracks that lend themselves as well to headphones as they do to the floor.

Staying true to this, VONDA7’s ‘Pure Intentions’ EP is a genre-hopping collection that is hard to pin down as it spans Breaks, Techno and Alternative Pop whilst remaining suffused with a delicate balance of allaying melody and power.

This core principle also extends to the artwork which is integral to the project. The intention is to provide a space for young and auspicious artists to contribute creatively – in this instance, the analogue photograph used is the work of Jakarta based artist Arthur Adams.

Dedicated to her late Grandmother, ‘Babcia’ (which translates to ‘Grandmother’) kicks things off to a deeply personal start, marking a transition from a passing to a new beginning as VONDA7 works to capture and honour the spirit of a cherished family member affectionately surmised as ‘bold yet cheerful and sweet’.

‘Babcia’ lays tough, fizzing drums through an octave-swapping riff and a filtered acid line before ‘Graceful Movements’ pits deftly processed breaks against rich, emotive melodies. ‘Pure Intentions’ is the most eyes down of the bunch as a thick, sunken groove gnarls away and propels a mangled sequence.

‘All In Flames’ then brings the EP to a mournful close as heart-wrenching piano chords steadily shift under distant vocals and more darts of acid which work together to showcase an interesting facet to VONDA7’s productions and lay the ground work for what’s set to be a very promising label.

So how does it sound to the ISF crew?

Airy melodies wavering on heavy techno kicks mix with lovely acid notes. Think of the techno section of Orbital without the heavy break beats. ‘All In Flames’ closes this EP with a fascinating mix of the piano and the 303.

Conclusion: We love it.

Tracklist: VONDA7 – Pure Intentions EP (art | werk, AW001)

01. Babcia
02. Graceful_Movements
03. Pure Intentions
04. All in Flames

Buy release: Vinyl
Listen on: Spotify