- Fade To Mind introduced us to Leonce earlier this year, when the Atlanta-based New Orleans native delivered Heatwave, his deliciously effective mixtape of bounce edits of R&B hits. Now we get to hear his first originals alongside a bootleg or two, the precursor to his "proper debut" promised for 2017.
None of Shadows truly reprises the bounce flavors of Heatwave. Jersey club and vogue house are apparent influences, although more in their martial energy than "Ha" samples—even if "Marimba Track" does get its own version of vocal exclamations. It's also in the vocal style of Divoli S'vere, who features on both "Shadows" and "Click Clack." In the former, S'vere offers one line of chanted repetition, but the latter betrays the cadence of a vogue MC. "Truffle Track" is the obvious bootleg, using the instrumental of Nicki Minaj's "Truffle Butter" as a launching-off point.
There's something fresh and compelling about Leonce's skeletal percussion funk, with its Southern energy and marching band flavor. While it references familiar American regional club scenes, most of the tracks don't fit neatly into any one. But Shadows still feels like a young producer learning his craft, with a simplicity that speaks to inexperience rather than elegance.
Tracklist01. Shadows feat. Divoli S'vere
02. Marimba Track
03. Click Clack feat. Divoli S'vere
04. Flight Risk feat. Neana
05. Truffle Track