The Third Man - Follow As Satellites

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  • Toby Leeming has shown his Detroit-tinged versatility in the past, but here it's taken to the extreme. Opening the record, three minute ditty "2116" offers more development than some producers can muster in double the time. Its main appeal stems from a sequence of electronic wind chimes. The chimes don't seem played so much as randomly brushed by passing gusts of air. Around this motif, Leeming layers in a heavy, tolling bassline and smudgy synth work. The whole thing has a jumbled, indistinct quality, almost Legowelt in aesthetic. At its most basic, "Deep Sleep Operative" feels similar to Stephan Bodzin's remix of "Teddy Tausentod," by Dominik Eulberg. Both tracks share the same irregular beat programming, utilising four hasty kicks followed by a pause. Leeming's version is rather more apocalyptic, however. Most of the track is obscured by brooding pads, with small rays of hope allowed to peek through only towards the end. An overwrought, psychedelic hook whirls on top of this mire, sounding like some lost relic from Goa. "Runners" has the same frenzied energy so often found in Jeff Mills' work. Imagine a spider scuttling at high speed and you have some measure of the melodic elements. Again taking influence from Mills, the track has very few elements. Its success rests on cycling rapidly through different combinations, creating the illusion of many components. Last, the idyllic "Stepping Over" makes a sweet companion for "2116." Things are cleaner this time, with steady marimba-like hits fanning out alongside organ work and dreamy synth chords.
  • Tracklist
      A1 2116 A2 Deep Sleep Operative B1 Runners B2 Stepping Over
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