Over the course of nearly a decade of releases, Szare
have have been a mainstay of UK dance music,
cementing their reputation through a string of essential
releases for labels like Horizontal Ground, Idle Hands,
Field, Project 13 and Different Circles. We’re extremely
proud to add another name to that list, with this diverse selection of tracks that comprise both new ideas and forgotten loops, re-visited and re-tooled.
The first track, Miner, is named after a street in Downtown Stockton, CA. Whilst Miner isn’t directly about the Central Valley of California, the juxtaposed rhythmic and thematic iterations that outline its structure reflect the uncanny incongruence of the environment
that birthed it. From the opening bar, the rhythms are pounding, frenetic, and totally unhinged… We won’t give away the payoff though; listen to the tune.
Cut with Glass - written after a recycling mishap - perfectly encapsulates a vintage side of the Szare sound - minimal, free from ornamentation, and with an approach to uk sound system culture that exhibits a more westward-gazing sound palette than initially meets the
eye.
Drop Shadow rounds off the package; as much an exploration of concrète as it is bass music, the drop to 100bpm facilitates one of the most controlled and perfectly executed arrangements we’ve ever heard out of Szare. The spasms of noise throughout are used as a fundamental instrument, complimented by pointillist licks of dubbed out vocals and
strings that reach a fever-pitch in the closing third. [info from label]