Acid Cats shares new five-track EP

Portsmouth-based duo Acid Cats have spent years immersed in the underground dance music culture that helped shape their own unique sound. Featuring the talents of Richie and James, the pair share a musical history based in the UK’s late-80s underground explosion, although their individual journeys began in thoroughly different places. Richie grew up surrounded by the heavy, bass-driven rhythms of sound-system reggae, while James developed his musical vision through hip hop. As electro and early house began making their presence felt across the UK, those separate influences gradually overlapped, drawing both towards the rising worlds of house and techno.

By the height of the rave era, Richie was organising illegal gatherings deep in the woodlands around Portsmouth, while James was developing his mixing skills in local clubs and underground bars. Their paths eventually crossed through the Sunday Sessions, where Richie, working as a co-promoter, booked James to play as a guest DJ. The chemistry was instant and the origins of Acid Cats were forged. Their two different musical backgrounds have since developed into a shared mission to bring to life the physical, uncompromising energy of underground dance music.

At the heart of their sound sits an enduring obsession with the Roland TB-303, with its squelching acid tones becoming central to a production style that moves between hypnotic house and thumping techno, delivering the infectious rhythms designed to light up a dancefloor. Across releases for labels including Super Rhythm Trax, Superfreq, Acid Works, Bosh, Analytic Records, RF, Household Digital and Aquamelon, Acid Cats have built a catalogue of hardware-driven production and their latest move brings them back to Freaky Nation Records, this time for a significant new release.

You Can’t Call It That EP marks the duo’s debut lead EP for the label, following their previous remix contributions. A high-energy deep tech package built with late-night club environments in mind, the release brings together two original tracks and three remixes from Terry Francis, Rob Pearson and GUMR. By not chasing a slick, detached version of electronic music, Acid Cats focus on the impact of rhythm, the character of their hardware and the sort of momentum that comes alive through a powerful sound system.

Kicking off the release, the title track, “You Can’t Call It That,” combines heavy, dancefloor-oriented rhythms with swirling synth textures and the duo’s signature 303 action. Set up by the steady pulse of percussion, buzzy synth elements flicker around the mix to form a hypnotic dance scene that steadily builds with grooving basslines, the snap of crisp percussion and stacks of woozy electronic elements, surging into an engrossing musical experience that plays out across almost eight minutes of engaging twists and turns.

Its companion, “Static,” takes a more deliberately wonky approach, pairing skippy 808 and 909 beats with a piercing acid line. A pattering percussive pattern sets up the track as rattling shots ring out as swells of wobbly synth lines flutter throughout the arrangement before jumping into a trance-inducing soundscape that’s energising, transportive and disorienting in equal measure, putting the creative flair and sound design talents of Acid Cats on full display.

Both tracks have already been tested on the dancefloor, with each proving its worth in the environments for which it was created. The EP’s three remixes extend the central sound in different directions; Terry Francis delivers a deep, rolling tech house interpretation of the title track aimed at late-night sets, while Rob Pearson strips things back, focusing on intricate production, tight rhythms and an economical groove.

GUMR takes a more driving approach on the remix of “Static,” introducing a bouncy, Brett Johnson-inspired tech house feel that reframes the track in an exciting new setting. Together, the versions offer different routes into the same underlying club-focused energy and by bringing these collaborators together Acid Cats serve up an epic EP that’s sure to impress listeners across the UK and beyond. With You Can’t Call It That, Acid Cats bring their long-standing dedication to underground dance music into a new chapter with Freaky Nation and across its five tracks, the release remains focused on heavy rhythms, acid lines and music made to be experienced at full volume, deep into the night.

Listen to You Can’t Call It That below