FRESH JUICE: LIFE SIMULATOR by POUCH ENVY

New York based club experimentalist POUCH ENVY blends through neat breakbeats, Baltimore patterns, booty bass, & more alongside some complimentary edits on the concept EP that is 'Life Simulator'.

Words by Oisín Campbell/ Design by Michael Savage

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Buy/ Stream here: pouch-envy.bandcamp.com/album/life-simulator-ep

Pouch Envy is the production alter ego of Per Pintaric, a club craftsman that has been grabbing the attention of the Bandcamp world as of late with a string of personal edit packs, as well as contributions to the likes of International Chrome, Low Income Squad, and Unity Records.

Per's bending take on the sounds of ballroom, US club, jungle, and techno, which merge with his original eerie yet futuristic soundscapes make for greatly intriguing sounds beit with his own flips or his takes on classic pop and club anthems.

The self-released 'Life Simulator' follows up from Per's previous two VIP CLUB EDIT packs, with 4 original cuts as well as 4 reworkings from producers based across Europe and the US. The EP's fruition was inspired by a series of recurring dreams faced by Pintaric.

'In the dreams someone lent me a camera. If I looked through the camera and pointed at an old picture of me, I teleported back to that time. It was hard to come back to the present as every memory took me further into the past'.

Per's POUCH ENVY alter ego allows him to explore his lived experiences in a deeper way as he creates soundscapes identifiable with these junctures. Pacing through swift changes in BPM, melody, and genre helps him to relate to the current day Gen Z sensibilities:

'Fast-paced, undefined and suitable for the diminished attention span that digital life has brought to the younger generations'.

That sense of sound and environment intersecting is evident in the New Yorker's productions which are never confined to one specific area of impression. Rather they are constantly changing and turning, either purposefully or unintentionally in configuration with our oblivious digital disdain.

The EP's Opening track 'PARAGONE' takes an enticing Baltimore inspired breakbeat that is blended with Memphis sounding organs and techno bass lines, concocting many of the dominant US club sounds and stripping them of a distinct neutral sound. The result is a peak-time club roller capable of bridging any set into a new dimension.

'2AM' approaches in a more minimal space with elastic 808 fills before being surged by an anthemic bass and atmospheric vocals.

Pintaric switches on the booty bass with the club energizer 'BOUNCE'. Shaking between a booty and juke bounce, as well as tracing elements of electro, the track typifies the New York artist's innate ability to deface singular genres.

Title track 'LIFE SIMULATOR' follows with a chasing break that is propelled by eerie backdrops and ajar hats, meeting to create another stimulant club-ready number. Nashville club beacon MANIIA offers up a Baltimore meets Jersey type flip with his take on the track, adding a more percussive layered dimension to the original.

POUCH ENVY'S 'AZZBACK' is then given a remix overhaul with Berlin's '131BPM', Tel Aviv's Request Lorraine, and the Brooklyn based 'Vyper' all leaving their personal mark on the track. 131BPM directs a ghetto paced techno drive with percussive trinkets and pitch bends that build up a real head of steam.

Request Lorraine takes a more hyperpop approach, with a bluster of hard-fizzed kicks and looping panel breaking effects that rock right to the core. Vyper's manic gabber-fuelled version is equally eerie as it is hard. Gradually combusting into a glitched out nightmare, Vyper's shockwave-esque kicks eventually throw the remnants of the original into oblivion.

'Life Simulator' stays true throughout to the Per's ideology of disconnectedness and differentiability that many of us crave for. Multi-dimensional sounds for a multi-dimensional world that stay within the listener's comfort zone and maintain a healthy dose of club throughout.

Discover the extended POUCH ENVY catalogue here: pouch-envy.bandcamp.com/