GD4YA15
EL-B
THE CITY NEVER SLEEPS / BIZZY 4 LIZZY / MIDNIGHT
ARTWORK BY DRUMZ OF THE SOUTH
Amazing track manages to stay exciting yet simple which is a hard thing to pull off. Garage meets soul. That slick guitar keys and guitar call and response riff starts immediately and keeps you engaged. When the drums come in it the track clicks straight away.
There are amazing subtle details hidden in the track like the reverb on the sparse woodblock percussions that adds beautiful atmosphere and depth. There are intermitted piano melodies doused in a lush reverb that pulls you in further.
The drums have a future garage vibe but with the rigidity and groove of a classic garage track, every percussion sound has great character and works together almost melodically similar to Jamie XX’s. Love the progression of the drums as they build up and down getting simpler or more complex in rhythm.
The Kick and Bass share the low-end expertly and keep a strong simple sub rhythm booming throughout, well executed amount of bass here.
In the later sections, there’s a brilliant legato synth riff added which lifts the track even further. It’s just the right length, leaving you wanting more, yet giving you enough.
Great mixdown as well, a nice mono low-end with wide wet-sends and atmospheric layers. Everything is balanced nicely and nothing clashes in a way that is distracting or detracts. The only minor gripe is that when summing to mono the off-beat hat gets phase-canceled which does affect the groove. Phenomenal track all around from EL-B, excited to hear more.
You can grab the track here
Peace
Mix And The Blend 