Miss Kittin – Maneki Neko EP

Paris-based, Grenoble-born DJ/producer/electronic mastermind Miss Kittin (sonic alias of Caroline Hervé) soared back into out periphery this year with Calling From The Stars, her first solo LP in five years. A ruthless double record, it was praised for a wealth of noises, from golden-era MK electropop she initially found plaudits with, to the experimental paeans and ambient techno on disc two, with many critics especially noting her gorgeous vocal stylings throughout the 100-or-so minutes. Miss Kittin has severed one particularly prime cut from the anthology for an extended EP, the effervescent “Maneki Neko”, flecked with tastes of the Orient and dance-pop.

The Maneki Neko EP features four tracks: the original track, two reworkings, and a remix of “Cosmic Love Radiation”. The original track itself, as briefly mentioned above, demonstrates her pop bent via Far East synth hooks, glacial bass blossoms and a gothic house timbre. A maneki-neko is actually one of those Japanese ‘fortune cats’ with the bobbing paws, and Miss Kittin makes use of the lyrical goldmine of chance: “My lucky cat/ behind my back/ it’s singing sweet.” There’s a primal, torrid air behind the club beats, and her voice slinks and slithers through the pulsing rhythm, fixated, almost entranced. There’s an odd sensuality lurking within the effort.

The remixes shy away from that original seductive tone. Hud’s version (included due winning a community remix competition) bolsters the dance streak. It’s distinctly discotheque-sounding, with trap-lite percussion and enormous bubbles of bass synth; it’s less subtle, with whopping crescendos and deep house facets. It turns the intimate pop into a swirling hedonistic affair. The Chateau Marmont mix also focuses on a similar atmosphere, though whisks us back to ’90s trance and space-age garage á la Disclosure. The main synth riff itself could almost be something from the annals of Snoop Dogg’s history; it’s a feisty west-coast hip-hop hook.

The EP is swift. The tracks, whilst differing slightly from each other, and enjoyable enough, do linger in bordering territories. It feels like a few safe choices, which, from a frontier-thresher like Miss Kittin, is a little disappointing. It’s not necessarily her fault, but something to think about. It might have been nice to experience something entirely lo-fi, and then something upping the bpm and flying off the handle so we could peep a variety of shades. Instead of those things, we have a few efforts that do little to heighten the original track or highlight much of her style. They’re nice, but that’s all. “Maneki Neko”, the original, is still a banger though.