Lorca – If I Told You

Label: 2020 Midnight Visions

Brighton’s Lorca first caught our attention last year with his debut solo release on Dummy, a catchy 12” which married distinctive dusty soundcraft with a bubbling energy that worked a treat on the dancefloors. He followed this with one of 2012’s most sought-after London white labels in the form of his unstoppable Faith Evans edit, which made it into our list of the year’s best tracks. Now the young producer takes to 2020 Midnight Visions  for his most substantial release to date. The energy is at a lower ebb here, but opener Have I Told You is a welcome return for Lorca’s sound, his distinctive organic percussion settling into a dusty 2step shuffle which underpins a catchy vocal hook, airy synth accents and atmosphere to spare. The moody cut is also given a functional remix by rising star Citizen, which sets the core elements into a simpler house framework with light Jersey-style synthwork which increases the tune’s dancefloor potential but never really manages to take off.

 

The two deeper cuts which sit in between are a mixed bag, with second cut Giant Stars offering a spare take on the opener’s formula which, despite a delicate selection of woodblock percussion, ultimately fails to stand out. Third cut Searching goes downbeat with more success, an addictive number where an emotive vocal snip lazily emerges over the course of the tune alongside swan-diving bass throbs and crystal-sharp fingerclicks. The If I Told You EP doesn’t quite carry the elated urgency that made Lorca’s earlier releases so special, but the return of the producer’s distinctive lofi sound palette hints at a talented producer who has a lot left to give, but is perhaps yet to establish a solid voice.

7/10

Doc Daneeka – Sketches Of You

Label: 2020 Midnight Vision

Mial Watkins, who many will know as UK producer Doc Daneeka and labelhead of Ten Thousand Yen, marks his debut on 2020’s Midnight Visions sub-imprint after a successful 2012. Last year his collaboration with Benjamin Damage, the They!Live album, was a standout LP,  and a share of interesting singles including the stripped-back vocal 12” Tobyjug with Abigail Wyles marked Watkins as a rarer breed than his early singles had suggested. For the Sketches of You EP, Daneeka’s got a glossy new style in toe, entering the bass fray, and the result is a light and lively selection of tunes which, while certainly pleasant, doesn’t ultimately feel as distinctive as some of hisc past output.

Day By Day / Just Say The Words / Everyday / Sunset To Neath

The brighter textures are crafted with taste on opener Day By Day, where a careening synth wipe soars above a bright selection of plucked guitar notes, loved-up vocal snips and spare percussive touches. The success of the opener’s change of style is unfortunately undermined, however, by an inability to keep the stylistic shifts coming across the course of the release. The light touch turns tropical on second cut Just Say The Words, where the notable lack of the opener’s urgency renders the pretty synthwork and polished production more than a little unremarkable. Given the drum-heavy approach of Watkins’ early output, the low-key percussion of this whole release is a bit of a surprise, and more often than not results in tunes that sound nice and airy but lack the grit required to get bodies moving on the dancefloor.

The flipside offers another pair of solid tunes that fail to really excite the ears. While Everyday comes across as rather familiar given the similar sonic makeup of the preceding tracks, final cut Sunset To Neath’s acceptance of chilled, sunny vibes results in a more palatable closer where the focus on mood doesn’t seem to come at the cost of the groove. It’s great to hear Daneeka try something different on Sketches Of You, but the delicacy and lightness of touch mean that none of these tracks really stay with you after first listen. The individual elements cohere pleasantly but never surprise, resulting in a four-tracker which lacks either the muscle to please the club or the sonic sophistry to delight the headphone crowd.

4/10

Presk - Nobody Makes Me Do

Label: 2020 Midnight Visions

The third release on 2020 Visions offshoot Midnight Visions comes courtesy of Dutch producer Presk, who has something a little different to offer us. Previously his productions contrasted with the UK’s jumpy scene by way of their restraint and dignity, but here Presk is chopping and skipping like the rest of them; and if this EP is enough to go on, this style fits him to a tee. Scorching A-side Nobody Makes Me Do will be the first to grab attention, an off-kilter garage rhythm underlying a bouncing bass and a fantastic earworm vocal. This would surely be enough for a top tune, but with Presk nothing is left to settle. With the late introduction of an unexpected second vocal (just as catchy, and a glorious companion to the first) and a bassline that looks set to burst free from the track before the second drop, this is an explosive track that marks Presk as a real force to be reckoned with.

 

EP Clips

On the AA-side we stay hyper but get a little darker with the frantic and ominous Akola. Clipped drum samples and hammering synths mean the track never settles, lurching powerfully in its place amid another perfect pair of vocal samples and a collage of punchy atmospherics. Both lead tunes put a thoroughly modern, aggressive twist on classic house and electro, and they work a charm. Epic B-side Cerano City is another beast entirely, channelling moody Detroit pads to create a dark, hypnotic groove with burbling synths and a tightly structured arrangement of drumtracks and vocals which means every second of its 8-minute runtime is scintillating. Not only are all three of these tracks essential for any on-trend DJs; this is Presk like we’ve never seen him before: the gloves are off and the man is clearly making it his business to destroy dancefloors and take names.

8.5/10