Jim-e Stack At Juno Download

Review: Hailing from New Orleans, Jim E Stack certainly has plenty of dirty south swagger behind him on the rough and tough beat that defines "Bubble Boy", his offering to the Bodyhigh imprint. The snare comes rattling in a militaristic rattle while the bottom end stomps in that half-house lurch. There's plenty of diversion in the midrange as well, as woody panpipe imitations and more overtly electronic flourishes try to cool the tempestuous drums. For all their melodic intent though, this track is about the rhythm, and it comes weighing with an unstoppable intent.

Review: Arriving on fledgling UK label Good Years, Jim E-Stack's debut EP arrives on a flurry of internet chatter following the release of a bootleg remix of A$AP Rocky's "Purple Swag". It was a reworking that mixed the woozy quality of The Weeknd with the lush analogue textures of Jacques Greene, and quite rightly pegged him as one to watch. "Come Between" opens the EP; combining staccato piano stabs and purple-tinged pads with a clattering rhythm, tumultuous snares and a keen sense of snap, it's nicely complimented by a smooth male vocal sample that keeps just the right side of the current zeitgeist for R&B sampling. "3rd Soul" is similarly rich, combining a taut synth line with steel pan melodies done in a way that recalls Jamie xx's "Far Nearer". Closer "Lemme" opens with a sparse drum beat and insistent vocal snippet; it's certainly the most dancefloor focused track of the three, but no less bright, climaxing with an elastic neon synth that gives the production the required amount of warmth to make it as memorable as the others.