Stumbleine’s most recent outing sees him team up with fellow producer Asa for the collaborative EP – Your Secret. It’s a hazy, dream like record that combines Stumbleine’s shoegazer guitar washes with Asa’s garage 2-step drums to sublime effect. Both of the producers have built a successful sound, with past releases, in their own niche, but they really do complement each other when they come together in this release.
The EP has a lot of open space throughout its 5 tracks; real soundscapes, although you might not expect to find such sonic grandeur in artists clumped into this chilled out dubstep/garage- style hybrid. That’s something I’ve always loved about Stumbleine though – even though he’s fundamentally an electronic artist, he has this raw energy constantly driving his music, in the form of his guitar; this is the addictive element that keeps me coming back to his small, but rich catalogue. Just listen to ‘Aliceband’ and see what I mean. Combine this with Asa’s intricately arranged drum patterns you get something special.
Asa’s signature drums break through on Vapour, with the sound of an old plate camera’s bulb piercing through the mix like a distant echoe of the past flashing before your eyes. The track then dissipates into some ethereal, ambient land where Stumbleine’s guitar plays away in the distance and hushed voices sing just out of ear-shot.
The second track fades in with more of Stumbleine’s warm haze. This flows through the track (and whole EP) like blood through the body – keeping it alive.
The gentle and melancholic vocals of Shura & CoMa drift in on ‘Torniquet;, coupled with the slow and steady heartbeat-thump of Asa, sounding like he’s carrying the fragile voice through the thick miasma of her own sad lament.
Things are slowed down even more on ‘Tinderbox’ – a real comedown song with crying strings and a subtle, but bold, piano sounding over the rolling atmosphere of synth and guitar washes.
The EP ends with a hint of cheer, maybe, on ‘Without You’. The unknown, angelic diva, whose indistinguishable words have rung through the entire EP, reaches for the high note in this finale and sings one last time before all fades into the rain.
Listening to this all the way through really is a journey – definitely the most cinematic of either of the two artist’s releases and a real experience that you can’t miss. Highly recommend this to anyone who likes music with a bit of feeling and a bit of soul..
By Thomas Scott
Dance Yrself Clean
