Calvin Harris follows up with Valentine’s Day EP release, ‘Love Regenerator 2’

It seems that Calvin Harris getting caught with his pants down isn’t the only thing that’s up for the superstar lately. The Scottish producer/DJ has a Valentine’s Day release in the form of another acid-tinged EP, Love Regenerator 2. The short player is the latest in Harris’ new two-track EP saga, with Love Generator 1 landing only weeks ago. The format seems to be the way Calvin is going lately as he showcases new and decidedly different styles along the way.

While LR1 featured heavier elements of house, techno, and breaks, Love Regenerator 2 follows a more catchy, four-to-the-floor trajectory, but still remains grounded in an acid-house aesthetic. Namely, in the predominance of squelching sounds and UK drum-and-bass tempos on the drops of “Hypnagogic.” But the acid house is strong with “CP-1” as well, mainly heard in the track’s deep basslines and heavy reliance on four-on-the-floor rhythms and 4/4 beats. The two tracks also come with edits of their own, whereby synthetic strings and stabs predominate but remain minimal. at best.

All in all, the EP feels a lot like leaping back in time — all the way back to the 1980s when acid house was moving from Chicago overseas to the UK. For those who remember the days, it’s a deeply nostalgic feeling, to ay the least. After all, Harris did say his new direction was motivated by revisiting the music he was “obsessed with growing up” and when he “started producing over 22 years ago.”