Shall Not Fade came of age in those bygone days of “lo-fi” that saw labels like Lobster Theremin and Natural Sciences pushing dusty and crackled vinyl. Times have changed. Natural Sciences is now a leading purveyor of industrially decaying soundscapes, while Lobster Theremin has created an entire dance ecosystem far beyond the scope of a label. Shall Not Fade has also grown with the times and recent releases have seen them branching into UKG and proper techno territory.
But house still remains in the DNA of the label and we get that in its classiest form across this EP from Spanish producer Paul Rudder. This 12-inch has everything from ecstasy-cresting eyes-closed moments on “Mind Drifting” to a lowkey weapon for the smaller hours on the flip where “Rudder Experience” chugs along with a hip-hop swagger and a minor key melody.
Our pick of the bunch is “Losing Dreams.” It’s not much more than a kick, a shaker, a rhythmic vocal sample, and wafts of melody, but, boy does it work. It’s the type of functional, groove-focused track that may not be clogging up IOM Facebook posts the next day, but is the bread and butter any selector reaches for when they need to keep bodies moving and the party going.
‘Losing Dreams’ EP is scheduled for release 18 December via Shall Not Fade. Order a copy from Bandcamp.
TRACKLIST
1. Mind Drifting
2. Losing Dreams
3. Ah, You Know
4. Experience
5. Til You Found ft. Hurlee