John Swoop
Crystalline and playful. Clean quiets, reassuring female vocal echoes.. Slips into breaks effortlessly. A flurry of animated samples lead the rest of the way. Lovely work Favorite track: Bluster.
London-based artist Wordcolour returned in late 2021 with a playful new single ‘Bluster’ and now to follow up, here are three new editions of the track from DJ Python, Djrum and The Soft Pink Truth. Leading with Djrum’s dizzying remix, the full release will drop on 12” vinyl and digital, 1st April.
The original single was produced all the way back in January 2021 when the UK was entering its second national lockdown. Worldcolour set himself the task to write a club track whilst trying to remember what the club sounded and felt like. “The result, Bluster, continues some of the club experiments I began on my first EP "Tell Me Something", but with a beefed-up heavier sound aimed at slow, chunky techno sets. Like that first record, this track has a sense of humour - constantly cutting in playful bits of vocal and drum detail. Both the title and the artwork imply an undue swagger - a sense of winging it through changeable unpredictable weather conditions: a combination that, for me, sums up the feel of this track as well as the circumstances in which it was made,” Wordcolour explains.
“You might find that the piano playing at the beginning seems a little out of tune - that’s because I’m not using the standard western scale known as equal temperament. I’ve actually tuned the piano in line with the alp horn, the national musical instrument of Switzerland. It’s a really long (like, several metre-long) horn with no holes in the sides so it actually plays in a natural harmonic overtone series, so I think it gives the piano a beautiful clear resonance as well as (to western ears) a sort of gentle wooziness. The rhythmic elements of the track are inspired pretty much directly by the original, just translated into a quicker tempo with some added sound design. I’m really interested to hear what people think!”
- Djrum
“As soon as I heard the original, I was immediately struck by the precise architecture and high fidelity of Wordcolour's approach. It was intimidating to remix this track because it's so funky but also so careful and considered. Overcompensating, I made a lot of harsh noisy dub-stew remixes out of it, and then threw them all away and started over with the piano. I asked M.C. Schmidt to play some new piano along with Wordcolour's core riffs, slightly detuned so there's some friction, and the whole thing opened like a flower and here we are. I was really honoured to take part in this.” - The Pink Soft Truth – Drew
“Really enjoyed the natural feel of the original wordcolour track :) just wanted to build off that floaty type feeling and drift” - DJ Python
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Named as One To Watch in 2021 by The Guardian, Wordcolour made his first appearance on the famed London label in November 2020 to great acclaim with ‘Juno Way’. The EP received support from Crack Magazine, The Guardian, DJ Mag, KEXP, Worldwide FM, FACT Magazine, and more. With a background in jazz, pop and contemporary classical, Wordcolour has also previously produced music for TV and theatre as well as released on Spanish imprint Lapsus Records with ‘Tell Me Something’. He’s one of the most exciting producers coming through the next generation of club music with his unique approach of playful storytelling in a cinematic way. The new single is an exciting indicator of what’s to come from the dynamic producer.
My whole body agrees with the pace of this short but solid track list. A generous helping of acoustic rhythm samples ignited by breakbeats add extra attention to full range movement on the dancefloor. Not a beat wasted. cherub420
All the tracks are great but Stepper is the standout for me! pounding syncopated kicks, rolling handdrums and playful sample work, dancefloor destroyer. Jack G.
