- Starting out on the fringes of UK funky, Bedford's Lil Silva has trodden an unusual path. Hints at his transformation were there as early as 2011, in the Sampha-featuring "On Your Own." 2013's Distance EP took things further, intercutting Silva's aggy drum tracks with attempts at pop crossover. They weren't half-bad attempts either, closer to Sampha's Young Turks crew than the ill-advised major label dalliances of fellow funky innovators Ill Blu. Since then, Silva has kept both plates spinning: last year's Mabel threw the spotlight on the producer's own voice (and that of Banks, for whom he has produced), and Drumatic finds him barrelling back onto the dance floor.
Unfortunately, he seems to have lost his bite somewhere along the way. The title track is the best of the lot, and the closest to Silva's past glories. Its engine-oil bassline and frenetic breakbeats should be sufficient to send the Red Stripe cans flying. Elsewhere Silva tries out some new ideas, with limited success. "New Squeeze" dribbles juicy synth chords enticingly over an electro beat but never quite goes anywhere. "606," as the title suggests, is a lean drum machine workout. Its syncopated rhythms and crisp snare tattoos would be entertaining enough, had the Swamp 81 crew not pre-empted them by a few years.
Tracklist01. Drumatic
02. New Squeeze
03. 606