Label: Mana (5) – MANA 10 Format: 2 × Vinyl, LP Country: UK Released: Jun 2020 Genre: Electronic Style: Dub, Techno, Minimal
Rejoice! More copies of the mind-tripping instant classic debut 2LP from the faceless Pretty Sneaky unit hath landed via the brilliantly esoteric Mana Records. Barely even got time to dust myself down from initial contact the first time around, with copies never touching even the shop floor, but having journeyed on its serene, dub-rich vistas many a time since, it’s clear that there’s much more to explore. Still no word on who Pretty Sneaky is / are.. does it matter? Not really, but it feels there’s some common ancestry with the outsider club music stables of Sued / Acido from the Hardwax diaspora, or Burnt Friedman / Pole due to the odd free-jazz and percussive flourishes. German producers that don’t hide their appreciation of UK musics. Each track takes up an entire side, with moments of fluid, flangered off-kilter rhythms being interspersed and segued by atmospheric everyday field recordings, the sound of running water, church bells, etc. There’re big shifts in tempo but the mood and cohesion throughout is consistent, setting up a gliding expanse of tripping, dubbed-out percussive ambience on side C and more uber-focused breaksy / beatless / melting 110 bpm moments on the D. Finding it very tricky to write about any of this but HIGHEST RECOMMEND.. one of the best of the year. (Mint / New)
