- While Ramp Recordings hasn't released a record since 2015, Shining Path reveals that label owner Tom Kerridge has found something else to occupy his time. There isn't much information about the project, except that Kerridge uses production software and works with musicians (a couple of strings players, at least, from the sound of it) and vocalists.
With a pair of original tracks, Full Gloom offers two different but related sounds. The title cut's mood isn't far from an artist like Sampha, who once released a single with SBTRKT on Ramp. But its slow pace veers less towards soul than a classic era of jazzy vocal pop, with spare beats and strings under a male-and-female duet. "16 Bits," on the other hand, has an upbeat, chiptune-esque rhythm that nods to the club as Trim drops verses. It's an interesting touch that the chorus is essentially a looped echo of Trim's opening line buried quietly in the mix.
The Drones Club remix of "Full Gloom" meanders between experimental and club tropes, but it's the short, stripped-down reprise with strings and voice that feels the meatiest. The sweet female vocal and the romantic pop arrangement may be anachronistic, but that's probably what makes it intriguing.
Tracklist01. Full Gloom
02. 16 Bits feat. Trim
03. Full Gloom (Drones Club God Of The Night Sun Remix)
04. Full Gloom (Reprise)