O'FORTYFOUR — Sly Wizzard

O’FortyFour – Sly Wizzard EP O’FortyFour returns to Sequalog with Sly Wizzard, the label’s eleventh release and a five-track excursion through acid-driven house, breaks, techno and downtempo. Also known as Pahatam, O’FortyFour delivers a record built around heavy low-end pressure, sharply defined percussion, unusual synth motifs and the kind of restrained tension that rewards a serious club system. The EP opens with the title track, “Sly Wizzard”, a dark and tightly controlled groove shaped by a weighty bass foundation and an instantly recognizable melodic figure. Trommel describes the track as a contemporary take on the late-1990s and early-2000s progressive legacy, with the chords providing its defining lift. The track maintains a deliberately serious atmosphere without sacrificing movement, making it an effective opener for deeper and more hypnotic sets. “Exalted” pushes further into broken-beat territory. A heavy bassline anchors the track while bright, shimmering synth elements introduce contrast above the groove. The combination of deep low frequencies and fractured drums gives the track a physical, system-oriented character, balancing progressive atmosphere with more immediate dancefloor mechanics. On the B-side, “Topka” increases the pressure. Acid elements become more prominent, with a muscular groove and broken rhythmic structure driving the track forward. Its tension is built through repetition and carefully placed changes rather than excessive arrangement, giving it the functional quality of a DJ tool while retaining O’FortyFour’s distinctive character. “Aurora 41” moves decisively into broken-beat territory. The track’s rhythmic approach places it closer to UK-influenced breakbeat and electro-adjacent club music, while maintaining the darker tonal palette established across the EP. Its looser rhythmic framework provides a useful contrast to the straighter drive of the preceding cuts. The closing track, “Green Abyss”, takes a different route. Rather than ending with another peak-time workout, O’FortyFour slows the record into a downtempo conclusion, extending the atmosphere and allowing the EP to finish on a more spacious and reflective note. Across Sly Wizzard, O’FortyFour demonstrates a particularly effective understanding of contrast: heavy bass against bright synths, broken drums against progressive movement, acid pressure against spacious passages. The result is a distinctly underground record that sits comfortably between house, techno, breaks and downtempo rather than fitting neatly into a single genre. Released on Sequalog, the label run by TC80, Sly Wizzard is the eleventh O’FortyFour release for the imprint. Contemporary specialist coverage identified the EP with Pahatam and noted its combination of acid-influenced basslines, sharp percussion and groove-led electronic production.