‘Temporary Lapse’ EP – Steve Hadfield (See Blue Audio SBA #002) 1. Unwitting Accomplice
2. Mind Tricks
3. Don’t Look Back
4. Witting Accomplice (Beatless Version)
5. Breathe
Release date: 14 June 2019
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See Blue Audio: ambient / electronic / beatless / cinematic / downtempo / eclectic / introspective… Shade rather than light...
The second release on the recently launched See Blue Audio imprint comes from Steve Hadfield with the five-track ‘Temporary Lapse’ EP. Now based in Leeds in the UK, Steve has many years of experience as an electronic producer. Since moving to Leeds from London in 2018, he’s ventured into a variety of musical territories, including melodic IDM, haunted ambience, breakneck drum & bass and dub-style techno, as well as developing a live show. Steve is perhaps best known for his more experimental side on Disintegration State, a label he co-founded, which specialises in under-the-radar electronica. Most recently, he released ‘Battle Royale’ in collaboration with Sunbane.
With ‘Temporary Lapse’ for See Blue Audio, Steve has retained his ambient sensibility, but added more melodic and dubbier qualities. ‘Unwitting Accomplice’ introduces the EP with gentle waves of spectral sound underpinned by a murmuring bassline and soft beats. Swirling synth lines then build the track into a powerfully atmospheric piece.
Both ‘Mind Tricks’ and ‘Don’t Look Back’ travel deeper into dark space with viscous beats and eerie effects. Trembling with nervous energy and a marked increase in tension, they take the EP in a different direction with references to Detroit techno and the dubby side of downtempo electronica.
Every release on See Blue Audio will include at least one beatless track or remix, so Steve has reworked ‘Unwitting Accomplice’ into the beatless ‘Witting Accomplice’, which takes the original down a couple of paces. This alternative version is a wander through distant valleys of fragile loops, trickling sounds and electronic whispers.
For the concluding track, ‘Breathe’, Steve changes direction again, both to complete the story of the EP and provide a different panorama. As the title suggest, it feels a little like coming up for air with its rolling groove and sensual sounds, and there’s a hint of a Balearic vibe too.
Review in the Sculpted Silence ambient column on the All Things Loud website: “‘Temporary Release’ is a compelling EP, and while my ambient proclivities are towards the neo-classical end, Hadfield reminds us there is much to be mined from all parts of the spectrum” (James Turrell).
Radio play: ‘Witting Accomplice (Beatless Version)’ and ‘Unwitting Accomplice’ on the ‘Snide Rhythms’ show on EH-FM based in Edinburgh; ‘Witting Accomplice (Beatless Version)’ included in ‘Group Mind Mix 007 – July 2019’ from the Group Mind label; ‘Unwitting Accomplice’ included in the Monday Graveyard podcast.
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