Artist: King Unique
Title: Flashing Lights / Curfew Time
Label: Junior Boys Own
By: Simon Jones | 12 December 2005
Tracklist:

• A1: Flashing Lights (Original Mix)
• A2: Flashing Lights (Acapella)
• B1: Curfew Time (Original Mix)
• B2: Curfew Time (Acapella)

King Unique "Flashing Lights / Curfew Time"

Matthew Roberts and Matt Thomas could be considered stalwarts of the house scene over the last few years. As King Unique they've entrenched their own 'dirty house' sound onto dancefloors the world over and into the minds of house music connoisseurs and club goers like everywhere. Their discography and remixography impressively takes in everything from Jamiroquai and The Killers through to Planet Funk and Infusion. Their early work graced such labels as Cactus and Defected and two years after their last single, they reaffirm their relationship with Junior Boys Own with the first in a series of singles, the first of which is this AA side 12" release, the 'Flashing Lights EP'.

'Flashing Lights' is a big room dirty house track and then some. The usual KU grit, dirty filtered synths and heady house rhythms are all present and correct, but are underpinned by an intoxicating old skool bass hook that keeps the tempo at a driving constant. As the pressure builds, subtle melodies creep in, with the looped vocal in the break enough to level any crowd that experiences the delight of hearing this rip apart the dancefloor.

'Curfew Time' follows on a similar path, and whilst not as domineering as it's counterpart, carves it's own template using electronic synth sections to create a hypnotic and driving riff-led groove. It's this dirty electronic sound that is a major proponent of the KU live experience, and this track is much the same. The jungle style breakdown is unexpected, but that's King Unique for you, always surprising in their own unimitable way.

Having spent the last few years developing a reputation for producing big dirty house or as they put it "loud electronic dirt", King Unique are just that, kings of innovating in their own unique way, even if that's just following their own path and having fun whilst doing so, and with their own club night and plenty of new original material to follow, that's exactly what 2006 holds for King Unique.