It often said that all good things must come to an end, but it's especially satisfying when that end is a real high note. We'd like to think that's the case with ICEE HOT, as its five- year run as a party and a label is coming to a close this month, both with a 28­hour marathon goodbye event and with Daddy Issues, the latest EP from Vin Sol & Matrixxman. In many ways, the two San Francisco producers have blossomed right alongside Icee Hot, as their Soo Wavey label (along with both producers' output for other imprints) has become essential listening. As such, when the time came to select someone for the very last Icee Hot record, Vin Sol & Matrixxman felt like the best candidates to represent San Francisco and all of the great times we've had here over the past five years. The EP's title and artwork is an obvious nod to the city and its rich history of electronic music and counterculture, but there's also a more personal inspiration at work. "The truth behind it is painfully simple actually," explains Matrixxman. "Vin's father died at young age and my father is dead to me, figuratively speaking. Subsequently, we both have grappled with myriad daddy issues over the years. It's a common bond that we have shared. We are blood brothers actually, an oath we took about six years ago, as a result of this." Daddy Issues finds Vin Sol & Matrixxman putting their fleet of analog gear to work, and the EP is stuffed with urgent, drum machine­driven tracks. "Lotus Position" might be the moodiest of the bunch, its smooth synths gliding over snapping rhythms and a playful bassline. Icee Hot's own Ghosts On Tape gives the track a punchier feel with his 'Natural Instinct' Mix, which piles on the underwater synths and goes about its business with a casually epic flair. On the flip, Vin Sol & Matrixxman go back to work and take the gloves off. "Interrog8" is a more unhinged techno affair, and a particularly paranoid one at that, particularly with its insistent drum patterns and eerily synth melodies. Then there's "What You See," a stripped­ down yet remarkably complex track that serves as an even better showcase of Vin Sol & Matrixxman's excellent drum work. Clearly, these guys are reaching a new level of excellence, and we're very lucky to capture just a bit of it on the final Icee Hot 12".
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