Blawan – What You Do With What You Have

Blawans second 12 of the year on the rejuvenated R&Simprint shows a marked progression from the Bohla EP that surfaced around theturn of the year. Where his debut on the Belgian imprint skipped and probed,his latest goes straight for the jugular with a pair of roughly hewn,monstrously heavy house tracks.

Both tracks on the double A have cavernous, all encompassingdarkness that sets London warehouse styles grinding against purist Berghaintechno. It is heavy and full on music for large rooms but despite all theweight and power in the beats, its the cheeky insistence of house that jacks onthrough.

Small touches and attention to detail make the record anengrossing listen and with the vocal, Its not what you do, its hoooowwwyou  do it Blawan drops sweeping bow toannounce his entrance to the fray.

What You Do With What You Have wraps the vocal refrainaround marauding chords, winding the hips with yet more gurgling synth lines.Pitched down vocals sit comfortably above the steady rumble of the drums,ramming home the impact of the track.

On the other side, Nitrous vocals usher in a monstrous,surging bassline, of Vibe Decorum. Throw in some gratuitous male huffing, sometwisted acid and the track is bound to be setting the floor off. Standard stuffbut what sets this apart is the approach to sound design. Percussive hits dripfrom the ceiling, while the drums begin to crumble as the track reaches itszenith, creating a textured, panoramic setting.  

The EP captures a hungry young producer bubbling withenergy, not only edging closer to the forefront of a vibrant house/basscrossover scene but sitting comfortably amongst the output of the iconic R&Sstable. 

Ben 

Blawan – What You Do With What You Have by ProxyChen