Bleep

One of Bleep's favourites Lee Gamble, finally chases his two ridiculously good 2012 full-lengths for PAN with an EP of left-field grooves. Opener Kali Wave, built from ambient samples, old-school stabs and dusty drum breaks, showcases Gamble’s affinity for seamlessly blending retro and experimental sensibilities. He employs snaking rhythms and squelching synths on the slightly Eastern-flavoured Mimas Skank. Finally, on the extended Girl Drop, he crafts a hazy late-night soundscape that vividly encapsulates the euphoria of the dance floor with not a drumbeat or drop. The EP has managed to stand out in what has been a truly stellar year on account of its unique perspective. Gamble takes the prototypes of ambient techno and remoulds them in to cerebral listening experiences which embed the dimensions of UK club music into spacious, shapeshifting episodes. The transient production on Girl Drop is the best example of this knack- a zonal fuzz murmurs and drifts in and out of Gamble’s shapeless composition. Similarly, the wormy riff of Mimas Skank seems to levitate just above the surface of a sharp infectious club beat. Kuang is one of the year’s finest EPs thanks to the curious, all-encompassing ethos of its creator.