Roof Light - In Your Hands EP

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  • While it's obvious from a cursory listen that the bizarrely named Roof Light (Gareth Munday to his parents) is a big fan of Burial, scratch the surface and you will find plenty more on offer than a mere imitation. Munday has taken the key elements of Burial's sound (gritty beats, plaintive vocals and wistful melodies) and stitched them together in his own way. The two tracks that make up the first side, for example, are more indebted to modern deep house, albeit fractured and mournful, rather than Burial's reclamation of old school rave. The beats are consequently shaped more sensually than dubstep's traditional urban clangour, particularly on "Heart Like an Airport Runway" where they slither and skip captivatingly and sensually below the bassline. It's the second side that impresses most, however. The title track works like an ambient piece despite the ruthless hi-hat flickering like an angry insect. Waves of drowned voices, shimmering arpeggios and creeping noise are swept into the whirlpools of deep dub bass. In contrast, "Radiance" is the most straightforward dance floor track, coming across like shattered house glued back together in small pieces at high speed. The richer melodic layers and mischievous percussion build a more hopeful note to end an otherwise moody EP. Overall, an impressive debut and a bold side step for Styrax away from their familiar dub techno domain.
  • Tracklist
      A1 Around Here A2 Heart Like An Airport Runway B1 In Your Hands B2 Radiance
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