[SLM112]
The Liverpudlian producer SPD returns to the label with a brace of tracks that show further evidence of his evolution as an artist. Following on from last year’s twin releases of ‘The Way We Live’ and ‘Hazy’, ‘Myriad’ delivers his unique percussive style as before but with a developing sense of melody and texture.
‘Jasmine Tea’ glides in on a single pulsating chord, unfolding into a laconic melody that is pure hazy sunshine. A soulful vocal provides a counterpoint against a delicate framework of slow burning percussion and bass, before developing into a bubbling house groove that has heat-drenched summer days etched all the way through its core.
‘Tricky’ escalates the tempo with a rolling 4×4 rhythm and glittering atmospherics, underpinned with a relentless bassline. Smooth vocals and keys float across the surface with ease, amplifying the feeling of a soundtrack to tropical nights in monsoon season on some far-flung island.
‘Nedificate’ takes a turn into the darkness with rave stabs slowed down to a crawl across thundering drumwork. Every element is given space to breathe as the creeping nocturnal unease gradually percolates and rises up to the surface.
‘Badmanting’ escalates the darker vibes of the former track with classic Jungle sounds mutated into something altogether more sinister. Broken down and morphed into a fresh style across a half-step house hybrid, it exemplifies the spirit of old skool rave whilst twisting it into strange new shapes.