SOUNDQ’s Bad Lot has the simplistic feel of techno but marries it to a soulful vocal, creating a hard sound that still comes with a dose of humanity.
With heavy 808s and clipped, distorted synth stabs there is an intensity running through Bad Lot, particularly in its opening. It starts with stark percussion, including a big four-four beat that on its own it would be too much - energised and infectious but too cold and mechanical. Yet a starry-eyed, vacant vocal provides just the contrast the song needs. It remains otherworldly, perfectly suited for moments lost on dance floors, but it transcends that - conveying hopefulness and sadness at the same time.
Bad Lot is a menacing drama and whilst the production is intense, it still leaves space for its message: that despite our best efforts, whatever decisions we make, we end up repeating the same actions.
SOUNDQ is the musical alias of Poland-based house and ‘dirty pop’ producer Kuba Kubica. The name SOUNDQ is short for Soundquake, which, if Bad Lot is anything to go by, feels very appropriate. Kubica’s focus is on creating rhythms that enable him to tell distinctly Eastern European stories - Ones that “speak of accepting failure, struggling to adapt, living in two worlds and finding treasure in another man’s garbage”.
Check out Bad Lot below: