Longform, swelling think-piece techno. Paul Woolford‘s Special Request alias has explored vast musical landscapes from bangers to complextro DnB releases in the last decade. I kept replaying Compassion from his recent DJ-Kicks record this past week; there’s an ascertained element of patience and progression that peels minute by minute as I’ve listened back. A true sense of song-building, which leaves me feeling like the machines had a mind of their own oscillating at their own pace here. Stadium-sized basslines introduce the track’s melodic structure early giving way to equally massive kicks later on, capped by swirling, pensive synths and sensitively noisy/icy drums.
You can pick up the whole DJ-Kicks vinyl + digital album on his bandcamp page.
Jackson Ryland 