- Speaking to teshno earlier this year, Paul Cottam announced plans to start a new record label. A follow-up to the long defunct Cottam, the self-titled label that launched his career in 2009, Ruff Draft begins with three smoggy deep house and techno cuts from the UK producer.
A far cry from the merry afro-house he made his name with, Ruff Draft 01 captures Cottam in a pensive mood. "Lost In My Brain Fog," a reference to his on-going battle with multiple sclerosis, appears in two separate versions. The "Extended Outro Mix" is a 12-minute meander through fields of glinting synths, bumpy kicks and tender pads, powered by a slow, sonorous bassline. It's more sombre than we've come to expect from Cottam, but no less earnest. "Variation On A Theme" is a little punchier and equally engaging, throwing cosy chords and acid stabs over a great frame. "Lost In My Brain Fog (Medicated Mix)" sees us out with Cottam's darkest track to date. Built on the kind of mean groove that Levon Vincent has made his own, it's as rich a techno track as you'll hear all year.
TracklistA1 Lost In My Brain Fog (Extended Outro Mix)
B1 A Variation On A Theme
B2 Lost In My Brain Fog (Medicated Mix)