- Even after shedding his Narcossist moniker and "aphotic dubstep" sound for the pursuit of something groovier, a lingering darkness has resided over all of Kowton's productions since. From the two skulking slomo-swingers on Basic Music Knowledge to the menacing follow-up on Idle Hands, the Bristol-based Joe Cowton has been fashioning a breed of horror film house that is both disturbing and danceable in equal measure.
Though the fog has lifted slightly over his latest efforts for impeccable Irish imprint [Naked Lunch], we are still not quite out of the woods yet. Opener "Keep Walking" is certainly one of his slinkier club efforts, yet the whaling ghoulish synths, minor chimes and repeated warnings of "keep walking. Keep walking. Keep walking. Don't turn around" strand us in typical Kowton territory. It smacks of Panorama Bar at the witching hour—day seeping through the slats, pawing at the glistening throng of zombie dancers swaying in its unanimous trance. B-side "Show Me" is a fine example of Kowton's garage and 2-step lineage breaking and entering into his new genre home. Since relocating to far lower BPM regions, he has filled the recovered space with deep and booming sub-bass. Here, however, Kowton crams it with skip, clap and scuff, sculpting the tumult before it subsides into a luscious dubby catharsis.
Tracklist A Keep Walking
B Show Me