Irish electronic producer and sound designer Lewis James has just debuted a new track Nutso, the first taste of his EP Featherstone on Irish label Rua Sound
He’s hit this year running, tagged ‘one to watch in 2018’ by DJ Mag, who also premiered Nutso on the site. Featherstone follows two EPs from Lewis last year – the ambient electronica and drone-wave of Pips, and the Shapeshifter EP, which explored elegant jungle and Braindance detours.
Nutso is a mechanised tech-noir future hip-hop cut, with the odd drum & bass roll to keep you on your toes. The tension levels rise with a shape-shifting metallic dub dread synthline and glassy smithereen effects. It feels like a future soundtrack to the game WipeOut, with skyscraper-sized robots racing instead of the zippy anti-gravity pod ships.
The full Featherstone EP is out on March 2, but order from today at Rua Sound Bandcamp. The other three tracks range from stuttery jungle on Clash, to downtempo lushness on All In, featuring vocals by Voids’ Alison White. Another future hip-hop cut, Glow feat. 18AndCounting could go toe-to-toe with Antipop Consortium or Cannibal Ox.
Rua Sound’s mission statement is to “explore the gaps between bass music genres in all their forms”, and Lewis James is nailing the brief with Featherstone.
Moo Kid 