Duffstep – Know You review

This is, remarkably, only the second 12” release from London based producer Jeremy Duffy under his Duffstep moniker (you may know him through his Duff Disco and Born Tricky aliases). His Getting To Sirius 12” came out on Join The Dots earlier this year and received near universal praise from the likes of Flying Lotus, Kode 9, Martyn, King Midas Sound and more. Since then, has garnered further interest through his incredible live AV shows (check out his live performance with Rebel Overlay which has been widely documented). Turning his hand from reinterpreting disco beats on his own Duff Disco imprint to some glorious future garage here, it’s clear that Jeremy Duffy is nothing short of a musical alchemist.

“Know You”, one of the best tracks we’ve heard this year in this vein, starts with muffled James Blake style vox, a thumping heartbeat and slow build of textures. Insistent piano keys shrouded in a percussive mist morph around tight, clipped beats, which set the pace for the piece. Dropping into the main tune just after a minute, the indulgent warmth of the bassline really comes into play here and sits well with the anguished romance of the vocal calling “love you”. Progressing with a hushed breakdown and rattling maraca-type SFX halfway, the tune drifts away as we reach the end, stripping things down to just the crisp hissing beats. It’s poised perfection.

Although less instantly enrapturing and overwhelmingly beautiful than it’s counterpart on the A-Side, “More Lies” achieves greatness through it’s measured sentiency. Rolling out from the start with ticking beats, echoing atmospherics and a hypnotic rhythm, the whispering chant of the vocal hook provides a central focus for the rest of the elements in the track to work around. It’s rather reminiscent of a Ramadanman track in fact, with a similar interplay of sounds and sensibilities. Duffstep manages to create a beat so enduring and enticing that it will stay with you long after the music has gone. In fact, “enduring” and “enticing” are two words that sum up Duffstep all over.

Belinda Rowse