Bleep

As Romare, Archie Fairhurst has made some of the most considered and detailed electronic music of the 2010s. His previous LPs, EPs and singles have been characterised by swinging club rhythms, rich flushes of melody and an approach to sampling so thoughtful it borders on academic. On Gone, Romare’s first release for two years, we find Fairhurst retaining those elements while also crafting some of his prettiest and most evocative work to date.

Clocking in at over eight minutes, Gone’s title number is one of the longest Romare tracks to date. Fairhurst uses the sprawling run-time to great effect. Locking into a low-slung 100-bpm house groove, the track soon blossoms into the kind of reverb-drenched reverie that we expect from Maribou State or Bonobo - though the soulful vocal which drifts through the mix reminds us that this is very much a Romare track. With the sample spooling out for several minutes more, Fairhurst introduces a buzzing bassline and some Balearified synth work to keep ‘Gone’ climbing ever higher.

Gone’s B-side ‘Danger’ does something similar to the title-track, with a slow groove, droning electronic pedal sound and vocal snippet forming the core of the piece. However, the production here is more in line with Romare’s previous releases - the way keening chords and lackadaisical drums fall over one another in the breakdown is the sort of trick Romare has been perfecting ever since his first release, 2012’s Meditations On Afrocentrism EP.

Romare makes a welcome return with the gorgeous, languid Gone.