Here is a second collection of new material from Released Records, and 15 artists they have been keeping tabs on – and once again the Leeds label come up trumps.
There is a high standard throughout, exemplified by The Local Beatnik who bring a really nice air to the opening ‘Feel Rough’, with its top down, wind in the hair groove. The acid-flecked ‘Puncture’, from Krimewave & Wulls, works out over a good groove, while Doklief’s ‘Sylvia’ is cool, spacious and smoky. Z.S.E.M.’s ‘Fiveofive’ feels like a musical lava lamp, expanding and contracting over a strong beat, and it’s followed by the spaced-out disco offered by Surkit’s ‘Wish You Well’. ‘Love & Sacrifice’ from Chris Dawkins is a classy number, then ‘Beat’ from Bear Witness offers a glitchy rhythm and synths before Shauna’s ‘Reassurance Loop’ ups the tempo adds some slinky disco-house and a mind bending keyboard. Bruce Leeds brings sharper edges to ‘Silver Tree’, and these are immediately smoothed off by Edward Pedro, whose ‘Mount Eden’ has a lush and slightly mysterious feel. Closing out the compilation are Matt Paul Smith, who adds a really nice woozy keyboard to ‘Rest’, before finally Dawkins & Wulls lace ‘All Down’ with funky lines and cool atmospherics.
You’ll have gathered from all this that once the temperatures rise and we have some sort of spring – let alone summer – Winging It Vol.2 will be worthy of a good deal of listening time. Released Records offer horizontal grooves, but with plenty of interest too.
5 out of 5
Reviewed by Ben Hogwood
