Back in 2012 electronic producer Slugabed released an album called ‘Time Team’. It should have been the electronic crossover hit of the year, but we won’t go into that now. He then started a label and singles club releasing forward thinking bangers. Last year he released his second album ‘Inherit The Earth’. It consisted of 12 tracks of abstract bass fun.
Now he's returned with ‘Pandæmonium’, a release with incredible melodies, bass wobbles and a wicked sense of fun. In a nutshell ‘Stalker’ is the most cohesive thing Slugabed has put out to date. There is an off kilter bounce to everything, but it sounds like the song is slowly melting, and losing its shape, before you. This gives it a level of urgency. Will the melodies make it to the end before everything falls apart? ‘Boney Horse’ is another dose vintage Slugabed. Like ‘Stalker’ it’s upbeat, but less lopsided, more tousled in its themes and motifs.
‘Pandæmonium’ lives up to its name and is Slugabed’s most focussed and immediate release to date. Everything is here that he’s known for, wonky beats, woozy synths and devastating basslines with a sense of humour, but its cleaner and more defined than on previous releases. Throughout it feels like everything is on the cusp of collapsing under its own ideas, and heavyweight basslines. This is an EP that works just as well blaring at a party as it does on a commute to work.
8/10
Words: Nick Roseblade
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