Julio Bashmore – Chazm/Footsteppin’ review

A man much in demand since his debut release on Claude Von Stroke’s Dirtybird, Bristol’s Julio Bashmore continues to build up a dizzying reputation with these two new tunes on Doc Daneeka’s Ten Thousand Yen imprint. Mostly ignoring his hometown’s love of all things bassy, gnarly and gratuitously wobbly, Bashmore has already proved his Chicago love on the brilliant “Jack Got Macked”, and now he’s taken a more glacial approach to house on these epic tunes.

Comparisons with Joy Orbison may be obvious, but you can definitely sense some kinship in styles after listening to “Footsteppin'”. The dark yet uplifting cinematic pads are the main similarities, as well as the funky jackin’ swing to the drums and short, sharp vocal shots. But Bashmore seems much more influenced by classic house styles – the languid two-chord pattern in fact sounds more indebted to Roy Ayres’ “We Live In Brooklyn, Baby” than anything else. It’s a dreamy yet thoroughly urgent delight, with crafty horn samples from Cypress Hill’s “Insane In The Brain” thrown in deftly to occasionally puncture the smoothness of the vibe.

“Chazm” is a much more funky-orientated beat, with claps and subby kicks anchoring a beat that’s fleshed out with nicely sequenced conga hits. A rising modulated melody soon gets filtered up over the breakdowns, only to disappear once the beat drops again, keeping you hooked for the duration. It’s smart, minimal stuff and relentlessly funky to boot – further proof that Julio Bashmore is going to be a seriously in-demand producer going into 2011.

Oliver Keens