Erin Electronica Goes R&B

Defying logic seems to be part of Nouveaunoise’s modus operandi. That’s why it makes total sense that this Irish electro duo’s follow-up to their electro-jazz and Irish folktronica-laced 2010 debut, Paraphrase Accolade, would be an early hip hop and R&B-infused dance music EP. Nouveaunoise’s latest, Sequence Consequence—consisting of prismatic electro fashioned from spliced, reversed, and distorted R&B and hip-hop hooks—confidently ventures into this unexpected terrain with ease and dexterity.

The five-track release by Nial Conway and Conor Gaffney opens with mid-tempo “Another Run,” a  colorful, multi-layered cut characterized by its tinkling key strokes. Dance track “Believe”—the EP’s heart—resembles what we imagine our favorite R&B cassette from back in the day would sound like when played in reverse. Loopy, Portuguese rap-sampled “Rizzu” brims with elaborate, fast-cut beats and melodies that skip, stutter and reverse—signaling two mixmasters at work.

While the genres and samples may have shifted, both Sequence and Paraphrase share a meticulous attention to intricate beat construction and rhythmic arrangement as a unifying thread—suggesting that this Dublin-based group is uninterested in retreading familiar paths.