- Simple One is the first collection from Will Saul’s label, and is a straightforward, no frills set of eleven tracks put together by Saul and artists he has worked with in the past – Sideshow, Precision Cuts and Walking.Hintenaus.
Because there are only eleven tracks the mix can unfold at a natural, unhurried pace, and Sideshow’s ‘Waiting In The Darkness’ paints a cool, nocturnal soundscape that slowly grows in substance. Saul’s own ‘Fast Lane’ is typical of the sound of the album – driven by slow but meaty bass lines and minimal textures – not much treble here! Sometimes the music is in need of a little extra colour and more textural variety, but it’s a mostly solid affair.
Occasionally Saul rubs shoulders with techno, with Mathew Jonson’s remix of Sideshow’s ‘Slide’ a case in point, or he merges house and breaks, as in the move between Precision Cuts’ ‘Royal Flush’ and Walker.Hintenaus’ ‘Pinrose’ which is easily the most exciting moment on the disc, as the beats converge and 303s fire around the edges.
Simple One shows plenty of promise and is an atmospheric, assured first release. If you’re into Cass and the Sabotage sound, this is a logical next port of call.