Pearson Sound At Juno Download

Review: It's fair to say that Leeds via London Hessle Audio co-founder David Kennedy has had a pretty outstanding year. Earning the respect and admiration of every DJ and tastemaker worth their salt, plus a legion of loyal followers, twenty one year old Pearson Sound (aka Ramadanman) has blown the music industry away with his sophisticated production, devastating DJ sets and creative prowess. And make no mistake, his next release on the Hessle imprint is no exception to the rule. For anyone who heard Kennedy on Benji B's Radio One show a few weeks back, you will know of his current interest in Chicago Juke, and it is from this sonic palette that he paints his picture here. A gorgeous, hazy atmospheric intro with shimmering glow grows as the beats begin to patter with increasing insistence in "Blanked". Building the atmosphere like a master craftsman, he sculpts and moulds the sounds around one another adeptly, like a potter working clay, or an artist sketching a drawing. It's a hard act to follow, but "Blue Eyes" manages it. Tuning into a less brooding sensibility, Kennedy lets the tension build in gently nudging, hissing intro before flurrying bleepy ripples reign free with cooing female vox. These chirrups are no sooner articulated then they are drowned out and disappear; the ticking beats and percussion return to the fore, but then again, teasingly, the vocals return, only to be towed away on a tidal wave of melancholy synth work and sobriety.

Review: Pearson Sound makes his long-awaited return to Hessle Audio, and his first material for the label since his contribution to last ear's 116 & Rising compilation. Although his recent self released missive "Untitled" proved a welcome distraction it's clear that this release marks the next stage in whichever the producer may be heading. Eschewing the housier tones of the past few years of productions, Kennedy takes things back to basics, exploring the stripped back sounds of early instrumental grime. "Clutch" is as mechanical as its name suggests, combining thumping kicks and sharp-focus percussion with a sensibility not a million miles away from A Made Up Sound's right-angled techno. On the flip, "Underdog" is a cavernous stop-start DJ tool filled with glassy textures and high-voltage bass, while "Piston" is a schizophrenic battery of stuttering snares and contrasting melodic textures that are frankly difficult to wrap your head around.

Review: Pearson Sound's last EP, Clutch, saw the producer delve into considerably more experimental territory than previous releases with three stripped back, grime-influenced productions that travelled into the realms of abstraction. REM, released on the producer's own imprint, sees Pearson Sound continue to develop this approach with four similarly essential tracks from the Hessle Audio man; the title track provides an atmospheric combination of cubist rhythm structures and raw tones, while "Gridlock" builds layers of D&B-like percussion over regular sub bass intervals. "Figment" meanwhile is almost Actress-like in its understated beauty; only "Crimson (Beat Mix)" is most recognisably Kennedy's work, thanks to its clattering filtered snares which swim in a soup of tripped out reverb and melancholy chords.

Review: David Kennedy returns with his first original productions since that Maurice Donovan white label a few months ago, and feverish followers of those cultural barometers Rinse FM and Boiler Room will recognise the material here; "Untitled" first surfaced on the Hessle Audio Boiler Room takeover in May last year. Released with little concession to prior fanfare - a simple tweet notifying a baying public (and internet) of its imminent release, this single-track release sees Pearson Sound continue to develop into a finely tuned, tautly rhythmic house sound that undoubtedly pays concession to his production heroes.

Review: David Kennedy, aka Ramadanman/Pearson Sound - one of the most talked about electronic artists of recent times - steps up with his highly anticipated mix, marking the 56th instalment of the fabriclive series. Amongst the almost exorbitant 30 track selection are 10 of Kennedy's own, signposted by explorations into dubstep, post-dubstep, house, funky, techno, grime, juke and all the unmapped areas in between which blend so perfectly to colour the Pearson Sound. Despite the brevity of time allowed for each track, the overall effect is not hurried. Essential!