In The Loop : Episode 28

Our newest episode of In The Loop takes a look and listen at what a few acts from the roster have been upto recently.


SUNN BOO

 A short and sweet glistening drop of futuristic ambient.



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DEVRAS PLEXI

A chaotic whirlwind of crunching beats and ping pong melodics from the abstract master, Devras Plexi.



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IX PROSPECTUM

Epic progressive experimentalism with rapid fire percussion and aggressive tones.



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/CAVE

Intricate sound design with a hint of industrial ambience and breaky drum work.



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WILLY

Gritty techno that evolves into a brooding work of electronic art.



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Quixotic : Bricolage (Label Showcase)

Manchester based after party troupe "Quixotic" recently honoured Bricolage with a special mix consisting purely of material from our back catalogue. It spans a broad range of our techno infused releases and ranges from our early days to the present.

Here's what they had to say:

"Session 6 is a celebration for friends. The forward thinking Glasgow label, Bricolage, recently celebrated their second anniversary. Quixotic have been huge fans of the label since its inception. Label head, Fragile X, has tirelessly and consistently provided a seemingly endless stream of electronic pearls from musicians far and wide for fans to sink their teeth into. From humble beginnings to underground respect, Bricolage has developed over the last 24 months into an open platform for people that think that little bit differently when it comes to listening habits and production traits. Providing and producing ambient, glitch, electronica, IDM, techno and a bit of everything under the electronic umbrella.

To celebrate the more beat driven side of the Bricolage back catalogue, Quixotic resident "General Zero" has mixed together a bunch of his fave techno flavoured tracks released on the label."

TRACKLISTING
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Pedraw - Turbo16 (bc027)
Willy - What Was That? (bc011)
Sunn Boo - Ladyland Pt2 (bc001)
Crae - Injection (bc022)
Gewatte - X 08 (bc001)
Jaffa Kid - Melgar (bc025)
Bloempot - R3V3R5 Y0UR 8R07H3R5 (bc004)
futurendeavours - Fifteen Minutes Of Fame (bc019)
Minerva - Oligarch (bc020)
Mister Left - This Is Your Captain Speaking (bc020)

In The Loop : Episode 21

The latest episode of In The Loop is a special entry that looks at some of the albums and EPs released either through other labels or independently by some of our roster and alumni.


April 29th saw The Oscilloscope self release his new album "Secret Chamber". It's a fantastic album from the Swiss based producer, who just keeps getting better and better. By now, it's well known that The Oscilloscope is an advocate of finger drumming and this release sees him sticks to his guns. Well rounded, technical, rhythms are supported by electro undertones and lots of acid variations. The mixture of analogue and digital recording methods brew up a space age style that runs throughout and keeps things interesting.

Listen to Rec B8 below and check out the full album over on his bandcamp.






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Edinburgh techno specialist Willy recently released his debut EP, "Organo", through French label Carceres Records. Four tracks of supremely well executed warehouse techno. Thumping, but intricate, perc work and dark techno melodies sit side by side on industrial tinged sound palettes. More than worth checking out.



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Sleep Maps released on the label back in 2015. Contributing some stunning post rock compositions to two of our compilations in our first year in the form of "Biologic Trust" on our Various Artists Volume 2 release and again at the end of the year when he specifically wrote "The Brief Sun" as his entry for our special Winter Solstice release. Since then he was quiet on the output front, but it's been worth the wait. March saw the release of his latest album "No More Good Dreams". The tagline is "We Are Not Always Who We Think We Are" and that rings true in an album of deep and evocative post rock soundscapes. A lot of time and effort has went into the release and it's clear to here in the quality of the sounds.

Check out "The Lonelies" below alongside the full album stream





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"Seltrac" is the latest offering from International Debris. An album, partly inspired by travelling on the Docklands Light Railway, that was released on Third Kind Records last month. Personally, here at Bricolage, Ross Baker is one of our favourite producers. One that's always able to perfectly find the mark between experimentation and listenability. "Seltrac" does exactly that. The music itself is a stirring concoction of cinematic electronica bursting with enviable synth work and pinpoint melodies that will no doubt invoke feelings of nostalgia in listeners of a certain age. It's available as digital or limited edition cassette through the Third Kind Records bandcamp.

Stream and DL links below.



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In The Loop : Episode 18

Episode 18 of "In The Loop" is long overdue and takes a look back at what the artists from our VA Volume 3 compilation have been upto. The compilation was a popular, eclectic, all Scottish affair.

First up is a brand new track from "...From The Benthic Zone". It's a psychedelic, trippy number laced with intelligent percussion and evolving layers of glitchy sounds and effects. There's a lot going on but it never gets too muddled.


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Alpha Skies most recent offering from last month is a peculiar and interesting number. "Palomar" veers in between remnants of funk and jazz with smooth guitar licks serenading their way over a very breakbeat like structure. It's melodic, experimental electronic music in it's element.


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The latest Nova Noma production is a blissed out, soothing ambient piano led piece. "Sleepyhead" starts off with a beautiful piano and some chirping birds before some well placed downtempo beats soon join the fray. Look out for a new EP/album coming later in the year.


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Dreamland Fantasy recently uploaded his submission for the Piano Soundboard Movie Scoring Challenge from late last year. The process was as follows "We were given a selection of short videos with the sound removed and had to compose a piano soundtrack for the one selected".
This short piece shows off the impressive piano range that Dreamland Fantasy possesses.


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Warm house with a tropical flow is the name of the game on the new Night Time Bassline EP "Sanity Before Vanity". All the standard NTB elements are there, upbeat melodies, solid kicks and cosy chords. You can grab the full EP here.


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"The First World" from No!z has a real Eastern flavour at its core. It's another cinematic offering from the Glasgow based Spanish producer. Full of enticing sounds and developing drums.


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Oco is known for downtempo gems and "Let Me Talk" falls perfectly into that category. A slow burning melodious number that picks up the pace half way through with some almost tribal beats working their way into the equation.


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Crae's output over the last 6 months has seen a solid body of work makes it way online. Off the back of his "Injection" EP release on Bricolage, comes another new thumper with a melodic spacey vibe running through out. "Magnetikz" is moody, mean, dramatic techno.


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Willy continues sculpting his own brand of dark electronic music on "Jers". A powerful, no frills techno banger. There's an almost militaristic edge to the drums as they plough their way through the speakers. Hopefully there's more new sounds on the way soon from the young, Edinburgh native.


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"starocean777" from Gregor Garnutsi/Upstanding Monk sees the experimentalist explore the farthest reaches of the galaxy and he's invited you along for the ride. A pulsing beat amid an array of cosmic sounds soon gives way to an ambient implosion. An intriguing composition to say the least.


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On the subject of intriguing compositions......the undefinable Swedgy Bliker returned late last year with the demented "DIC". A melting pot of off beat electronics that never sits still. It'll either puzzle your brain or make it dance. Both are positive!


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Leit Motif released his "Till We Have Faces" EP on Bricolage last November. It was three all out analogue ambient creations. His newest offering is a bubbly electronic effort that sees him come together with Bricolage founder Fragile X on "A-maireach bi e nas fhearr" which translates as "Tomorrow Will Be Better" in Scottish Gaelic. It's a slightly melancholic yet optimistic number that grows and grows into a melodic outpouring before fading out to nothing.


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Replicators latest venture is "Skin Tight" where he puts his smooth word play over the top of the "CVRL" track of the same name. It's unconventional hip hop with a distinctive ambient under current.


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You can grab your copy of VA Vol 3 (featuring all of the above artists) over at our bandcamp site or from the embed below

Ghost Stories

It's Halloween weekend, or All Saints Day, Samhain, All Hallows Eve or any other of the many names it can be called. Some people love it, some people hate it. Me, personally, I can go with or without. It's not an occasion I immensely look forward to nor is it one that I abhor. I'm not one for dressing up and haven't really made the proper effort to do since my teens. The one thing I do love about this time of year though is the influx of horror films on TV, old and new. Then there's the ghost stories and, of course, Halloween playlists. I've always been a sucker for playlists, especially themed playlists.

So with that in mind, a few days ago we asked a few of the Bricolage artists to give us their Top 5 Halloween type, creepy/eerie songs and a little bit about them. There's a lot of diversity in among the selections. Atmospheric stuff, alt.rock, twisted techno, downright creepiness and childhood memories.

First up with some alternative choices and a video game classic is Mute Branches....

1. Tim Hecker - 'Virginal II'




"From the opening stabs of piano, you should probably have a good idea why I thought this was a good place to start. Like much of Hecker's work, 'Virginal II' is a track that comes to sound compellingly and beautifully hellbent on its own self-destruction. To me, 'Virginal II' paints in my head the image of being chased by something, and sprinting through a nightmarish landscape that gradually degrades into glitching digital noise."

2. Broadcast - 'Black Cat'




"Throughout their tragically short career, Broadcast had pretty close ties to the horror genre. As well as being influenced by films like 'Valerie and Her Week of Wonders' and the cult 70s TV series 'Children of the Stones', the band also soundtracked Peter Strickland's 2012 film 'Berberian Sound Studio'. On 'Black Cat', from 'Tender Buttons', the stripped-down line-up of James Cargill and the late Trish Keenan create a surreal, creeping atmosphere through the lo-fi scrapes and squalls and stutters of creaky electronics. In terms of the lyrics, "awkwardness happening to someone you love" is a brilliant example of the vague sense of threat that emerges through Keenan's cut-up poetry, as well."

3. Akira Yamaoka - 'White Noiz'




Trying to find something that can match the ghostly, bleak, and downright weird atmosphere of 'Silent Hill 2' (or, I suppose, specifically the memory of playing it in a tiny bedroom on a little old tube television) has led me down all kinds of interesting cultural paths both in and out of the horror genre. This track, which opens the game, captures perfectly the air of lonesome dreamlike melancholy that makes 'Silent Hill 2' the classic that it is."

4. Slint - 'For Dinner...'




"'Spiderland' is a mysterious album. The cover art is strange, its backstory is strange... just about everything about 'Spiderland' (and Slint, in general) is strange. The music is no exception: unorthodox time signatures, the whispery spoken word vocals, and the "loud / quiet dynamics" are utilised seemingly with the primary aim of unsettling the listener. 'For Dinner...' is one of the most successful of their efforts: a constant build-up without a crescendo, the instruments always sound like they're creeping up on you, on the verge of striking. Then, just as you're about to turn and look, they disappear again back into the shadowy silence."

5. Sonic Youth - 'Death Valley 69'




"Basically anything from 'Bad Moon Rising' would fit here. Sonic Youth sound pretty convincingly like a band formed in the aftermath of a nuclear apocalypse on this album; and, crucially, the cover art depicts a pumpkin-headed scarecrow man (is there a more Halloween-appropriate image than that?). Having spent much of the album slowly building up a sense of dread, Sonic Youth (with Lydia Lunch) let it all out on 'Death Valley 69' and unleash five minutes of violent, aggressive noise-punk into your ears."

Mute Branches, just yesterday uploaded his own Halloween inspired track to Soundcloud, "Huh? Radio?" is a tense affair with a slow building, foreboding, guitar soundscape that turns into a short burst of white noise and glitchy effects and cut up samples. Listen below.



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Next, Edinburgh techno aficionado and purveyor of deranged electronics, Willy, offers us his Top 5 Halloween-esque techno tracks.

1. Yaleesa Hall - "Fourth Perrin" 




2. Blawan - "Why They Hide Their Bodies Under My Garage"




3. Blacknecks - "Life for Rent"




4. Developer - "Hands of Inevitable Change"



5. Blawan - "Blue Bottle" 




Check out one of his own creations below. "Fiddlin'" is full of creepy climbing arps flowing over rapid fire percussion.



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Bricolage's resident split personality, "Roy Or Bison?" , is next up on the ghost train with his spooky selections....

1. Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster - "Puppy Dog Snails"



"This one starts off straight from the bat with a creepy, almost music box, style guitar and then Guy McKnight's baritone delivery only adds to the mood. For me, the lyrics throw up an image of a coven of witches gathering around their cauldron in an old castle."

2. White Ring - "Ixc999"



"A bit of witch house is always gonna need to find it's way into any Halloween playlists. There's no better track to utilize than this one by White Ring. A buzzing synth, soft whispering about 'my face is falling off'  and an almost child like haunting vocal spouting lyrics and chants. I love the feeling of decay that somehow spreads through this track. The video is also a tad mental!"

3. Aphex Twin - "Gwely Mernans"



"I've always thought this track was a great epitome of eeriness and a weirdly unsettling track that is actually somehow relaxing. Does that make sense??? Sometimes a minimalistic approach is more effective in creating the suitable tension needed for these kinda tracks. The track got even darker for me when I found out the meaning behind the title. I've always thought 'Gwely Mernans' looked Welsh but for whatever reason I never looked it up. Also, AFX, has a tendency to just use random titles or old Cornish language so I thought nothing of it. Then a few years back, a Welsh friend, told me that "gwely" means bed and "mernans" is death. So this track literally translates as "Deathbed". Sweet!"

4. Daniel Avery - Reception (Perc remix)



"Now, this one is just plain raw. A weird sequence of industrial, sawtooth type sounds, a pounding beat and a distorted, creepy vocal lead you up a path which comes to a sudden halt before the main melody from the original dives out on you and is shortly backed up by Perc's take no prisoners percussion and the return of aforementioned creepy voice. It's a very jarring but very interesting composition."

5. A Place To Bury Strangers - The Falling Sun



"As if their name isn't enough, 'APTBS', go all out dystopian soundscape on this one. A haunting shoegaze soundscape and a droning, depressed vocal make it seem like the end of the world is imminent. And if we're all going to be honest, what is more scary than the world we live in ending?"

'Roy Or Bison?' delivered a dark ambient, haunting track for our winter compilation last year. You can listen to "Night Vision" below.



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Lastly, drone and guitar experimentalist, Sleep, Data gives us his nostalgic take on what Halloween means to him.....

1. AC/DC - "Hells Bells"



"It's always Halloween when you play that in Arkansas."

2. Flash and The Pan - "Jetsetters Ball"



"As a kid growing up the local radio station always had a Halloween party and this was its theme song. So when you heard it you always knew Halloween was coming."

3. "Grinch Is Gonna Get You"



"One of my favourite things about Halloween was cartoons. And I didn't have to get up early to watch them!"

4. Helloween - "Halloween"



"Epic and 30 minutes long! It isn't but that's how I remember it."

5. The Dickies - "Killer Klowns From Outer Space"



"Last but not least, 'Killer Klowns From Outer Space' by The Dickies. Also, one of the greatest movies ever!"

You can check out the immersive "Interpretive Death" from 'Sleep, Data' below.



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Last week we provided you with a 2 hour Halloween themed mix as part of our Headroom mix series. It's an amalgamation of horror cut ups and samples, dark techno, haunting ambience and soundtrack snippets. It's been received rather well and we've been asked a few times now for a download of the mix to made available. You can stream the mix below or at our mixcloud. Read a bit more about the mix and get the full tracklisting fom our previous blog post and grab your free download of the mix here. Perfect for Halloween parties or just giving yourself a good fright!🎃

In The Loop : Episode 13

In The Loop episode 13 is a little later than planned but takes a look at what the second lot of artists from our most recent compilation, Volume 3 ,have been upto since the release.

CRAE

Crae recently posted a short, 90 seconds or so acid blast previewing an upcoming track of his. Chaotic in the best way possible.



There's also a more recent track on his page from around a fortnight ago which has that familiar dense techno beat but this time it's backed with more ambient pads and piercing little melodies. Check out "Light Above" below...



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WILLY

Willy mixed our May podcast at the start of the month and it's full of monolithic techno weapons. A driving, frenetic hour of beats and bass.



He's also recently posted a new track on his Soundcloud account called "Tribe Chant". It starts of with an indecipherable vocal then the drums take over and it starts to get heavier and harder. An almost industrial vibe lingers throughout. Another storming techno track from the Edinburgh producer.


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GREGOR GARNUTSI

A new track called "Anahata" has recently showed up on the Gregor Garnutsi SC page. Garnutsi is a man who doesn't mind straying into experimental territory on his tracks and this one is no different. It's a rare feat when someone can make such an array of experimental sounds remain interesting and unique but that's exactly what happens on "Anahata". No pigeonholing sounds, no genre type. Just electronic experimentalism at it's best.

There's also a Gregor Garnutsi podcast coming your way soon on Bricolage. Stay tuned for more info soon.



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SWEDGY BLINKER

Next up is another experimentalist in Swedgy Blinker. His track "Hobbies" from the Volume 3 compilation was a mish mash of electronic aesthetics that took no prisoners. His latest upload "Da Mellow Dee" is all wonky synths, skewed beats, vocal chop ups and a catchy melody thrown in for good measure. It's been described on soundcloud as "veggie crunk", take from that what you will and have a listen below.



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LEIT MOTIF

After releasing the epic "All This Citys Problems Are Coming After Me" on our last compilation we also put out the ambient composers debut EP "Supine". A body of finely sculpted horizontal landscapes.



Leit Motif also mixed together our latest edition of our Headroom series and it's been very well received so far over at our Mixcloud account. two hours of patient music to drift off with.



In between all that there's also a previously unreleased track titled "Circadian Rhythm" on the Leit Motif soundcloud. It starts off with a warm fuzz and drones that come and go and it builds towards a cascading, evolving melody and quiet drums that never sit still.


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REPLICATOR

"Skip To Video" was the spoken word piece that Replicator contributed to the compilation. It was a short, quietly visceral and humorous piece that bit back at consumerism. Replicators main output however is hip hop and rap based material. New track, "Hollow", is a background of piano loops and a steady beat with self studying lyrics acting as the centre piece.



There's also an excerpt from a recent Extra Second  poetry open mic night called "Don't Go There" that Replicator performed at.


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Bricolage Podcast #9 : Willy

Teenage techno producer and Edinburgh native, Willy, has delivered a raw slab of unforgiving and uncompromising techno for our May podcast. Dark tones skewered together with shadowy rhythms and sounds are the main elements on show and in turn they create a very nocturnal feel to the mix. It stomps and pounds its way through the speakers in an almost mechanical fashion, stopping occasionally for very brief pauses and breakdowns that lure you in before the beats and bass simply leap back out at you again. It's full to the brim with a solid techno groove alongside a dark danceability and underground track selections that conjure up images of a smokey basement party. This is definitely a mix for the later hours and preferably played at full volume.

As always stream the podcast below or at our mixcloud account.



Tracklisting
1. Patrick Walker - Levithian

2. Barcode Population - Internum

3. Drumcell - Departing Comfort (Planetary Assault Systems Remix)

4. Dousk - Jit Jit (Tim Penner Remix)

5. Setaoc Mass - Manifesto

6. Bjarki - PC Muscles

7. Willy - Redux

8. Patrick Walker - Space Wrecks 

9. Deniro - Dumans

10. Mark Broom - M19

11. Blind Observatory - And The Flying Saucer

12. Nina Kraviz - Let's Do It

13. Enoch - Hes Coming

BRICOLAGE: VA: VOLUME 3 (bc011)

Volumes 1 and 2 of our various artists compilations spanned all corners of the globe and provided some fantastic sounds. For Volume 3 we've stayed closer to home and delivered a substantial range of tracks that are all products of Scotland. In sticking with the theme of the previous compilations, the sounds are as eclectic as ever. It starts off with some excellent bleepy electronica before morphing into chilled out and upbeat dreamlike stuff. There's some house and techno after that followed by a few experimental tracks before finishing on a superb ambient number and a spoken word piece. 

It's a showcase of just some of the amazing artists and creativity that thrives up and down the country. 





Huge thanks go to everyone who contributed and made the release possible. 

The album is "pay what you want" or free download above or at our bandcamp with any and all profits going towards potential future physical releases and live shows.

Introducing The Collective 30 - 32

Tonight we continue the introductions to the artists on our forthcoming release compilation. An all Scottish based effort out a week from now.

30. No!z



Nono Movida is a Spanish producer living in Glasgow. His background is steeped in the visual side of arts. He's worked for many years as a VJ for various different DJs and groups and the cinematic influence that he leans on shines through in his music which almost always has a grandiose, soundtrack type, feel to it. Nono first started playing the piano at age 10 but originally wasn't intent on learning too much about it. His younger days would mainly be spent trying to imitate music from his favourite films, with the work of Alan Parsons in particular being a big favourite. Soon though, Nono gained the desire to try and create his own music and in recent years has started using Ableton and Reason to further his repertoire and explore more expansive sounds.

No!z (Soundcloud)

No!z (Vimeo)

No!z (Myspace)

No!z (Moviola)
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31. Replicator



Replicator is the alias of, Paul Wardrop, a Glaswegian emcee/spoken word artist and music producer. He sees his music as a way to facilitate making overt political statements whilst passing it off as entertainment. It's a clever way of working from a man who clearly has a good way of thinking and a unique way with words. Glasgow has always had a big influence on his output and in the words of Replicator himself...

"It's also very influenced by the local artistic community of Glasgow, being in and around a culture of people openly sharing opinions and ideas tends to infuse itself into the lyrics in a way that feels very authentic and less pretentious, i do this to give back inspiration to those who have inspired me.... and the irony of the fact that sounded pretentious is not lost on me"

Replicator also makes up 1/3 of Glasgow based hip-hop group Futurology. A trio definitely worth checking out.

Replicator (Soundcloud)

Replicator (Twitter)

Futurology (Bandcamp)
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32. Willy



Lewis Williamson AKA Willy, is a young, and very talented, electronic producer from Edinburgh. He has a knack for crafting together some powerful sounding techno rhythms that come complimented by a more abstract and experimental edge where the melodies are concerned. It creates a unique pallette of sounds. It's a fantastic combination and it's a big sound for someone so young. Lewis is dedicated to making his music so much that he reckons he is putting his future at risk by prioritising his beat making ahead of his studies. Techno always wins in the end if you ask me.

Willy (Soundcloud)

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