Tom Ellis ‘Envelope EP’

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Tom Ellis / Envelope EP

Digital 

22 Digit / Released June 2013

 

Sultry, all-natural aural aesthetics somewhere close to Moodymann, albeit with a little more bite and syncopation, are the order of the day on the latest from rising Welsh producer and DJ, Tom Ellis. Here appearing on one of P&S’s favourite home-grown digital imprints, it’s safe to say the release had us at hello. Or rather the opening, loose but not quite broken drums.

Opener Envelope is packed with undercurrents of blues, and even afro-beat are evident to varying degrees, from the word go, although anyone put off by the overuse of brass, vocals, and other obvious totems of this micro genre will be in their element. The latter only appears in the shape of an occasional, indecipherable hook, and the former has been left to one side, meaning undergound but immediately accessible noises are the final outcome here.

The tougher B-side, if such a thing can really exist in WAV form, Need You Now, positions itself close to deep, electro-informed tech, creating a logical but noticeable counterbalance that boasts both dirty bleeps, stranged hypnotic but and warm pads, which sound very nice when put together in the same tune. No doubt  reasons enough to buy, label boss William Welt delivers a more uptempo, stripped but commanding remix of the latter, complete with seriously technical percussive elements that bring out a staccato rhythm, with Dan Drastic’s darker and punchier interpretation of Envelope also adding to the overall merits. Good work fellas.

 


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