Reviewed: Lex (Athens) – ‘Lab ’94’ [Delusions Of Grandeur]
There is a pleasing looseness to the house music Lex (Athens) makes. His latest EP for Delusions Of Grandeur draws on familiar Chicago rhythms, but its personality comes from what happens around them: live percussion, wandering keys, spoken-word vocals and musicians given room to play.
‘Lab ’94 (Dub Vocal Mix)’ sets the tone. Named after a small stage at Athens’ Alsos Club in the 1990s, it pairs a stripped-back house groove with Boot Slap’s laid-back Hip House delivery. The rhythm section does relatively little on paper, but that restraint gives the vocal its character and allows the track’s sun-warmed atmosphere to develop naturally.
‘Friday To Monday’ draws on Lex and Boot Slap’s early-2000s experiences in Berlin. Its uncomplicated drums and bassline leave space for live percussion and loose keyboard solos, capturing the spirit of a club session that has long since stopped paying attention to the clock.
The B-side opens with ‘Lab ’94 (Full Organ Mix)’, which removes Boot Slap’s vocal and changes the emphasis entirely. The B3 organ takes centre stage, bringing jazz and gospel influences into the same rolling groove. It is a worthwhile alternate version rather than a functional instrumental, revealing how much of the original’s appeal sits in its musical arrangement.
DJ Rocca joins Lex for closer ‘Back To Mad (Cosmic Version)’, taking the EP into Italo-influenced territory. Improvised lead synths and brass stabs introduce a more eccentric character, while crunchy drum machine rhythms and a pulsing bassline keep the track connected to the dancefloor.
The EP’s strength lies in how comfortably those different influences coexist. Chicago house provides the framework, but the Mediterranean warmth, jazz phrasing and cosmic electronics prevent the record from feeling like an exercise in nostalgia.
Lex understands that a groove does not need constant intervention to remain interesting. Across these four cuts, the most rewarding moments come when the arrangement leaves enough space for the musicianship to do the work.
