London staple Deadboy returns for the first time since 2011’s HERE, the new four track EP ‘BLAQUEWERK’ is out now on vinyl and digital. The release is the first of a set of many to shortly be announced, joining festival Pleasure Principle to form part of our 10th anniversary in 2013.
The record’s opener ‘On Your Mind’ sees Deadboy swapping out divas and using his own plaintive vocals for the first time, within a 7 minute late night house exploration. Perpetually building analogue snare rolls and tape fuzzed basslines marry with a tense breakdown, reminiscent of his epic ‘Wish U Were Here’ and an 80’s touch that pushes the track into the same realms occupied by Chicago’s own pioneers of dancefloor melancholia, Virgo.
‘Geek’d Up’ pushes raw and direct with a heavy kick and dramatic piano stabs showing just how killer House music can be with only a few simple tools. ‘Black Reign’, previewed on Jackmaster’s Radio 1 show, experiments with the darker side of Garage – claustrophobic and nightmarish, an antidote to the recent charting hybrids. The EP’s closer ‘Nova’ is a play on Deadboy’s formative years in South London – mournful chords, tuned 808 basslines and precision crafted breaks bring to mind the pioneering sounds of early Drum & Bass producers Foul Play, with a deeper and more feminine sound.
BLAQUEWERK is released as a limited 12inch and digital download on 25th March 2013 via the usual outlets. Catch Deadboy on the Numbers Rinse FM show from 11pm – 1am GMT on Sunday 17th March.
Listen to EP on Soundcloud
Deadboy – BLAQUEWERK
NMBRS25 – 12″ vinyl & download
Released 25th March 2013
A1 – On Your Mind
A2 – Geek’d Up
B1 – Black Reign
B2 – Nova
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Photography by Liam Ricketts
Design by Tom Daracott
