Lone

Review: Lone debuts on the R&S imprint with this packed double twelve inch release that demonstrates a growing maturity in the new sound the Nottingham based producer unveiled on last winter's impressive Emerald Fantasy Tracks. Shy of that mini LP by only three tracks, the six productions that form Echolocations tighten the focus to 90s Detroit and Chicago, though the distinctive melodic stabs that characterised EFT remain - something that's apparent as soon as the huge drop in "Coreshine Voodoo" arrives! Elsewhere "Dolphin" delights via the vast swathes of melodies that wash over the intricate layers of percussion that build and drop with expertise whilst "Approaching Rainbow" is perhaps Lone at his most rhythmically rigid, with mellow bursts of colour and texture arising from the rasping Strafe-esque drums.

Review: A new Lone album from Matt Cutler represents an about turn away from the more mellow tones found on 2014's Reality Testing back in favour for the rave tropes that characterised his output circa Pineapple Crush. The nine tracks on Levitate are rife with the energetic fervour of hardcore and jungle, blending peppy tempos and nimble drum licks with the trademark graceful melodies one would expect from a Lone record. You should be familiar with "Backtail Was Heavy," already been premiered via a phone line service and "Vapour Trail" which formally announced Levitate and the other seven cuts from Lone show Cutler is at the top of his game.

Review: Lone is in a glassy-eyed and loved-up mood on this fourth instalment in his excellent "Ambivert Tools" series on R&S. We're particularly enjoying the lilting, soft-focus dreaminess of A-side "Pulsar", where swelling chords and poignant synth-strings sashay seductively between a densely layered, mid-tempo breakbeat groove. The long-serving producer ratchets up the energy on low-slung electro flipside "Oedo 808", another largely dreamy affair that boasts the twin attractions of raw acid style bass and ear-catching TR-808 drum machine cowbells. To finish things off, Lone serves up the EP's most blissfully loved-up moment, "Blue Moon Tree", whose bouncy pianos, fluttering vocal samples and languid chords sound like they were tailor-made for sunrise.

Review: While now revered just as much for his kaleidoscopic, all-action club tracks as his similarly colourful downtempo explorations, it should never be forgotten that Lone began life as a maker of skewed, head-in-the-clouds beats. For this fine contribution to the DJ Mix series, the DJ/producer has decided to take us on a whirlwind tour of his influences and inspirations, brilliantly joining the dots between sunrise-friendly ambient, melodious electronic, blazed hip-hop, dazzling experimental beat-scapes, loved-up house and futurist techno. It's a thrillingly eclectic set, but one that holds together brilliant. While this is in part due to the use of a number of his own productions, it's also testament to his immense skill as a DJ.

Review: While now revered just as much for his kaleidoscopic, all-action club tracks as his similarly colourful downtempo explorations, it should never be forgotten that Lone began life as a maker of skewed, head-in-the-clouds beats. For this fine contribution to the DJ Mix series, the DJ/producer has decided to take us on a whirlwind tour of his influences and inspirations, brilliantly joining the dots between sunrise-friendly ambient, melodious electronic, blazed hip-hop, dazzling experimental beat-scapes, loved-up house and futurist techno. It's a thrillingly eclectic set, but one that holds together brilliant. While this is in part due to the use of a number of his own productions, it's also testament to his immense skill as a DJ.