Guy Andrews - Shades / Textures (Hemlock, 21 Nov)Guy Andrews of Iambic / Moving Dawn Orchestra turns his hands to more dancefloor orientated material with this intriguing EP for Hemlock; taking on a more dense, percussive style but retaining his signature warm production, it's intriguing stuff. Shades kicks off in typical Hemlock fashion - skittery rhythms and snare-heavy drum fills that recall Pangaea, whilst warm swathes of synths build up in typical Iambic fashion. Despite the higher tempo and influences from UK funky, it's surprisingly delicate and melodic material, even with the beefy 808 kicks and hefty bass that come in on the drop. Chopping and changing throughout, Andrews uses some seriously convuluted percussive structures and dyamic shifts that are a welcome challenge to DJ with. AA Side Textures similarly skews perceptions, balancing neatly between techno, dub and funky (small f) percussive arrangements, refusing to ever settle into a solid groove to the point of infuriation. Again, Andrews manages to apply a welcome dose of melody and warmth to the UK funky template, and builds a powerful dancefloor tune.
Another big hitter for Hemlock, and really intriguing work from Andrews, who manages to turn out quality dancefloor material without relying on cheap tricks like wobble bass or over-compression. Perhaps a little too subtle for some, but definitely worth watching.
