- Neville Watson's debut album, released last year after a nigh-on two-decade career, felt more like a collection of singles than a long-player. It proved what we already knew—that Watson is superb at bucking house jams—but revealed that he's less adept at the nuances required for an album. His return to the shorter format, for the Special Editions offshoot of Semtek's Don't Be Afraid label, sees him back on firmer ground.
The hallmarks of Watson's sound are front and centre throughout—the stomp and wiggle of Roland machines, loops pushed to breaking point, and synths that whine like foxes in heat. But there's also a layer of grit that makes Hot & Heavy seem dated, if not outright revivalist. Take "Crossing the I's," the EP's most rambunctious cut, which centres on an acid line burbling above a one-note sub. A tried and tested trope, sure, but Watson deconstructs it in the track's closing moments, and just prevents it from being too staid.
"Wired" is more functional, its rolling drums lightened by a riff that doubles back on itself as though trying to lose a tail—this is loop techno delivered with a grin. In contrast, "Hot & Heavy" sits somewhere between Chez Damier and Mr G, with a clatter of bongos and a sticky low-end. Though executed with panache, Hot & Heavy ends up a little too safe to really wow.
TracklistA Crossing The I's
B1 Wired
B2 Hot & Heavy