HARD WORK by Robi Insinna

Hard Work is the first release on Industria, Robi Insinna’s brand new project label.

Back in 2001 Robi Insinna founded the seminal Relish label in direct response to a then- dominant sound in club music. Its catalogue is as vast as it is varied and foreshadowing the music he'd go on to make himself under Headman/Manhead. Fast forward to 2018 and after more than a decade he's on the move again launching new Project label, Industria with 'not quite an album, not quite an EP, Hard Work. Robi felt there was no reason to split projects the way he did with his aliases and as such the debut will be released under Robi's own name.

Industria will be focused more on vinyl releases, but not solely vinyl. The project will encompass all area's of Robi's work and ties together elements of his art and visual design projects. This release is limited to 200 copies, 50 of them will feature a special Artwork, that will be sold in selected places.

Merging Robi's disco leanings with an opiate smooth, stoned groove the title track Hard Work opens proceedings and heads immediately for the dancefloor dragging its hushed vocals and skewed guitar line kicking and screaming with it.

The dub rolls in next further stretching and twisting the guitar and giving the rhythm more space to swing. It most of all draws from the sense of outsider-disco fun, with the sound of stuttering percussion, a wry smile, and a knowing wink running throughout.

Düsseldorf Krautrockers Die Wilde Jagd take over remix duties on the third track of the A side and cast Hard Work off into unfamiliar and experimental territory, using bright synth splashes, squashed vocal samples and a pulsing rhythm to wrestle the groove and growling sense of menace out of the track.

Side 2 kicks things off with Some Believe coming to life with arpeggio'd synth shapes and brutish drums. The overall feel, however, suggests considerable care and attention has been paid to make it sound this way. There's clearly an uncommon musicality at play here to make something this complex feel so simple.

The BPM drops next on The Kiss but from the offset, there's enough funk and thrust in the motorised synth line to get bodies gently grooving without the beauty getting lost in the slower loop. A dramatic bass leads and a xylophone playing a nervous but euphoric melody follows. It's glassy mallets pinging atop the warm electronics creating a fresh groove.
Closing track Oct17 rounds off the record and puts an ever more personal spin on retro analogue sounds with synths and drummachines . A razor-sharp snare fires against the bassline and what sounds like a sliced vocal loop before these elements settle into a more measured thrust with the undulating synth tones offset by funkier ingredients.

This is a record that doesn't have its eyes fixed on past glories but references all the element that made Robi's previous work so special. Hard Work sounds like it's here to freshen up 2018. It's music that leaves scorch marks and smoulders. It is the sound of our very own, very recent times.

Hard Work is the first release on Industria, Robi Insinna’s brand new project label. Back in 2001 Robi Insinna founded the seminal Relish label and released under Headman/Manhead. The first release is 'not quite an album, not quite an EP, Hard Work. The debut will be released under Robi's own name.

i-n-d-u-s-t-r-i-a.com