Review: Popular twosome Dusky (AKA Nicholas Harriman and Alfred Granger-Howell) return to Running Back with the final part of their 'Life Signs' trilogy of EPs. In keeping with its predecessors, and the London-based duo's popular and now familiar approach, all four tracks sound fresh and contemporary while offering nods to classic club sounds of old. For proof, check opener 'Wildfire', where colossal chords and trance-style melodic motifs rise above an unfussy house beat and throbbing sequenced bassline, and the riff-heavy, acid bass-propelled breaks business of 'Tea Cake'. Elsewhere, 'Rushing' is a bouncy and celebratory slab of techno-tempo piano house, and 'Hawthorn' is a nostalgic, saucer-eyed delight full of The Beloved-style bass, starry chords and sweat-soaked beats.
Review: Almost three years after Dusky released the first of two Life Signs EPs, Running Back has decided to release a swathe of new reworks of tracks from the series. The most high-profile revisions come from Cinthie, who brilliantly re-frames 'Static' as a dreamy and attractive fusion of high-quality synth-pop and driving deep house complete with wavy vocalisations, undulating lead lines, gorgeous chords and sturdy beats. Elsewhere, KiNK re-wires 'Fridge' as a driving, rave-igniting techno roller full of retro-futurist organ stabs and old school house vocal snippets, while Rumu's version of 'Lea Valley' peppers a sturdy electro-breaks rhythm with glassy-eyed vocal samples, bold synth-bass, sparkling electronics and immersive pads.
Review: 2018 was a relatively quiet year for Dusky aka Alfie Granger-Howell and Nick Harriman, but the pair follow their recent Aset Forever record with these killer remixes. Issued on their own 17 Steps label, in its original format, "Amongst The Gods" featured raw break beats, euphoric synths and angelic vocals. For this remix package however, Brame & Hamo turn it into a more raw-sounding affair, full of splurging low end and menacing stabs. There's no room for subtlety either on Kettama's version of "Staunch"; pounding kicks support visceral riffs and the kind of swaggering, menacing roof that will leave the faint-hearted traumatised.
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