- Manchester producer Sam Walton is back with a 12-inch for long-standing bass music label Tectonic. There are two tracks here, and only one is worth writing home about. "Caught In A Trip" is a deadly UK club tune animated by a xylophone loop that's as charming as it is simple. Behind that is a seductive groove built from bone-dry percussion and the kind of big sub-bass you'd expect from a great Tectonic tune. It's well suited to both big and small dance floors, and exemplifies the exciting hybrid styles emanating from places like Bristol and Manchester.
But where "Caught In A Trip" is refreshing, "Gunman" sounds generic. Does the world need another scary half-step tune with threatening atmospherics and a badman vocal? The structure is stale, with an easy-to-mix, 32-measure intro that ends with tense negative space and the inevitable bass drop. This formula was done to death by 2013, when grime producers were trying to one-up each other with "war dub" tracks. "Gunman"'s only saving grace is its nimble, inventive drum programming, which could have made a real impact if Walton had surrounded it with more original ideas.
TracklistA Gunman
B Caught In A Trip