Is something troubling you?
A ghost like figure punctuates a black screen. Faceless and fleshless, the figure wears a luminescent jacket that is blindingly white. It could be the possession of a runner or a raver, and it’s certainly stopping traffic. But who is wearing this jacket? – it’s anonymous electronic producer SLOUCHO.
SLOUCHO AKA Irish digital artist Aisling Phelan, is the faceless newcomer to debut album ‘NPC’.
Referring to the gaming term ‘Non-Player Character’ ‘NPC’ pays homage to the duality of his main character and non-playable lives. With a boiler room set just announced and festival slots alongside the likes of Anz and Special Request, SLOUCHO’s ambiguity is stirring the electronic melting pot in a faceless fashion.
A nine track ensemble, ‘NPC’ combines bass, garage, rap, trap and ambient music with ‘Come Around’ being the first single that brought SLOUCHO some initial traction. A wobbly banger featuring fellow underground Irish artist Rory Sweeney, chewy baselines lie beneath manipulated vocals and a garage beat. The drums are reminiscent of the artist’s early releases including ‘MEMORY WALK’ and ‘HOLD IT DOWN’ showing a clear producer arc of bass driven percussion.
Whilst listeners are unaware of his identity, the eight collaborators that feature on the album are amongst the few who have prior knowledge of SLOUCHO’s true identity. With strong moments of rhythm and poetry, ’Rocks’, ’Two Thousands’ and ‘Brand New’ all appease to any fans of hard rap music. With his irish roots providing a much deserved edge, the LP is studded with collaborations from a collection of irish based rappers including the likes of EMBY and Curtisey. SLOUCHO is doing what any sane producer is doing at the moment and that is producing unique beats for hard bars.
‘Mind Traveller’ and ‘Lights On’ provide moments of light ambient relief in comparison to the harder garage and rap tracks. It’s the first female vocal in the mix from Yamagochi in ‘Lights On’ and it is a beautifully ethereal end to an otherwise stylistically diverse long play. A collection of rap, bass music and periods of ambient delight, SLOUCHO has developed a sound that is unique and peppered with shattering, crystallising, delicate sounds.
In this climate, we like to see faces. Identities sell. Does it trouble you to listen to music from someone who conceals their identity? Do you fear the unknown, the masked, the faceless? Take the risk today and listen to something new, because whilst his face and flesh remain in shadow, music delights the ears with stylised intention.
7/10
Words: Isabel Armitage
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