[SLM078]
Welsh producer Soaka makes a welcome return to the label for another masterclass in minimal electronica. Since he dropped his well received ‘All The While’ EP on the imprint, Soaka has been hard at work honing his unique sound. Stripping back the already skeletal framework he used for his last release to give the beat space to breath at an almost unprecedented level, he delivers a haunting essay into the hinterland of dark ambience.
‘Fume’ sets the scene with an ethereal array of pads and keys interlocking to form an atmospheric opening sequence that compliments the proceeding tracks.
‘Heat’ creaks into existence on a uneven bed of fractured drums and drunken keys. Hazy vocals pour through the gaps to give proceedings a solemn, melancholy edge. Deceptively simple it might seem, but on a heavy system the kick alone will rupture ribcages.
‘Circa’ drifts in like mist across a dark land, glittering bleeps and narcotic melodies swept underneath with a creeping sense of foreboding. Saccharine vocals glisten in the midst of space between the beat, seperating your mind from the here and now for it’s duration.