Forthcoming poster design for SNKR02 by Sophia Cox : )
Cat No: SNKR02
Artist: Al Tourettes
Title: Habit Inventing EP
Label: Sneaker Social Club
Format: 12” Maxi Vinyl & Digital
Release Date: Feb 2012
After a hugely successful release from Throwing Snow in the latter half of 2011, now officially Bristol-based label Sneaker Social Club is back with a bang in the early part of 2012. The auspicious young label’s next release comes from fast rising beatsmith, Aus Music producer and sometime Appleblim collaborator, Al Tourettes.
The man’s last release – a killer EP on Baselogic - was rightfully left without a genre tag on Resident Advisor when they glowingly reviewed it and, furthermore, was an EP which, for it’s complex rhythms and IDM aesthetics, hinted that the man behind it is a Warp artist in the making (as allegedly identified by the SS boss early last year!). This new two tracker confirms that once again, sitting somewhere between the glistening lines of Rustie, dense arrangements of Flying Lotus and kinetic energy of Harmonic 313.
A-side “Habit 7” is an amalgam of pinging cowbells, grunting basslines, snatched claps and plenty of off kilter elements all of which come together in another description defying arrangement. Sometimes there is nothing but acid twitches filling the spaces; at other times huge rubbery kicks, but either way, it’s arresting stuff.
B-side “Inventing” does just that – toying with a glut of styles and surging through digital sci-fi worlds, it lurches and bangs, squirms and squeals in a ton of different directions yet never leaves you behind: there’s always some devilishly designed little sound to hook onto and dance along with. The thing ends with a spoken word description of the track’s methodology and the importance of maths on production… like the EP overall, it’s beguiling and refreshing.
Once again, this boutique label has focussed heavily on the artwork for the release and, as such, vinyl copies come with a limited edition poster
design, this time created exclusively by Sophia Cox – none other than Al’s girlfriend!
Edited by Ruairi Dunne
Sneaker Social Club presents Cosmin TRG (Rush Hour/ 50 Weapons)
Sat 12th Nov
The Tube, 169-170 Kings Rd Arches, Brighton
11pm - 4am
ONLY20
Only20 is a limited run clothing brand, which has a heavy focus on the artistic merit and exclusivity of each design, as there will only be 20 of each print.
I met Dave, one of the creatives involved at Only20 at the local Size store in Brighton whilst on a sneaker purchase! and we got chatting about what I do, and what he does.
Dave creates Sneakers out of card, those are the pictures i’ve attached above. They’re super-impressive, I will be joining the que to grab a set!
Throwing Snow “Shadower” b/w “Sanctum”
- Words: Shawn Reynaldo
- Label: Sneaker Social Club
- XLR8R Rating: 8/10
At this point, it’s pretty safe to say that the UK bass scene (and its sonically similar tendrils around the globe) is suffering from a glut of artists. Just a few years after people first started uttering things like “post-dubstep” (and quickly therafter began making qualifications for doing so), it seems that new producers are constantly coming out of the woodwork, all of them with their own permutation of the sound. And although a lot of exciting and interesting music has been (and continues to be) created by a select number of producers, there are plenty of also-rans out there. For a while, Throwing Snow could be safely filed into the latter category. The young UK producer wasn’t turning out bad music by any means; his various tracks and remixes—many of which have been posted here on XLR8R—were perfectly enjoyable, but none of them really stood out as particularly unique or special. However, with the release of new single “Shadower” b/w “Spectrum,” it seems possible that Throwing Snow has made the proverbial leap.
Both sides of the 12” are impressive, but “Shadower”—which also has a cool video—is especially strong. Built upon a rather simple, shuffling drumbeat, the song slowly brings in spooky synth tones and ominous vocal loops, creating something akin in mood to Demdike Stare or a John Carpenter soundtrack. The track’s principal melody, which sounds something like a steel drum, has been pitched and filtered just enough to make it sound alien. There is a lot happening on “Shadower,” yet Throwing Snow doesn’t take the time to smooth out all the layers, which somehow creates an even more unsettling—and compelling—listen.
More straightforward is “Sanctum,” which pairs a fairly rigid 2-step beat with some ghostly vocal snippets, a growling bassline, and a driving violin melody. Once again, the whole affair sounds as though it’s been hastily assembled, insofar that the song certainly hasn’t been overworked or overproduced. Yet it somehow works, as these Throwing Snow offerings exude a real looseness and a raw, organic feel. More importantly, they also represent his best work yet.
The kind guys at We Love, have written some nice words about SNKR01!
http://www.welove-music.com/blog/index.php/music/throwing-snow-shadower/
