Loop LF - Stepping Back EP

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  • Scroll Well Street Records' Facebook page and you'll get a strong sense for the kind of music that's inspired the East London label's launch. Posts of tracks by the likes of Fjäder, Monoaware and Gasometric Run convey a love of techno built from off-kilter rhythms and dubby sounds. The UK artist Fold, who's one of a group of otherwise anonymous producers behind the label, showed similarly deep tastes on a recent NTS show, which featured a guest mix from Loop LF, the newcomer responsible for WSR's first release. Stepping Back comprises four dreamy broken techno cuts delivered in punchy, high-definition clarity. Though the tracks vary in pace and mood, there's a freshness and full-bodied feel to the EP's sound design throughout. Match this with adventurous drum programming and a keen ear for melody, and you've got the basis for an impressive debut. The opener, "Moon GZ," takes a couple of minutes to get going before unfurling one of this year's funkiest and most supple basslines. With its puffy pads and weepy earworm centrepiece, "Ocean Drums" has all the early-hours glow of a great SUED record, if slightly more polished. The same goes for the title track, which crawls with unsteady percussion and hazy, heavenly chords. Up until this point, Loop LF positions himself firmly to the left of the dance floor, but to finish he takes one step to the right. "You Wouldn't Understand" is charged with the rude energy of the post-dubstep days, all entwined rhythms, bassy stabs and intermittent police sirens. Like the rest of Stepping Back, its production values are top-notch.
  • Tracklist
      A1 Moon GZ A2 Ocean Drums B1 Stepping Back B2 You Wouldn't Understand
RA