- The track titles on Chicago Skyway's new EP for London imprint Uzuri pay tribute to the English capital, but the sounds are rooted in a much more vintage American aesthetic. "London Streets" is defined by a multifarious melody that hangs above splintered, woody kicks like the dim glow of an urban metropolis as seen from hundreds of feet above. Hakim Murphy's re-work, however, has a pleasing bounce to his beats and his pinging cowbells add a sense of scale to the otherwise rather contained sounds of the original.
"Traffic"'s unadulterated ticks and claps drag a soft, bleepy melody forward as the firm 4/4 beats punch with a satisfying pomp. It feels unsettled and aggravated (as you do in traffic) but is nothing compared to the fuzzy, scratchy and glitchy textures of closer "Noise"—a frantic sonic scribble imbued with all the frustration and tension of life in a densely populated city. It won't be for everyone, but brace yourself through the stark pixelated frequencies and the little moments of relief hidden within are all the more rewarding.
Tracklist A1 London Streets
A2 London Streets (Hakim Murphy Remix)
B1 Traffic
B2 Noise