"With a craftsmanship magically reminiscent of those moments when a dingy afters is perforated by sunlight; Dreams on 22 is a sort of faux canonisation of the dawn dreamscapes we all miss and love"
Making ripples and causing a commotion is the name of the game. The accelerated, emotional substance ingrained in the very ethos of the Pace Yourself Manifesto won over rave fiends the first time out, and now they return to answer the ever-incumbent question, can you go one better? With all cylinders prepped for go-time, their first LP release has a lot to answer for and live up to – but what is the optimal plan going forward?
In their continued search for seminal wizardry, Pace Yourself have turned to Glaswegian producer Dream_E. Beloved as The Burrell Connection, you may also remember him as one of the lads behind the superb ‘Highfield Daze’ anthem. With a new project and a fresh outlook in tow, Alfie has channelled his inner Basic Channel, siphoned through a smoky prism curtailing the legendary Pub’s crystalline ambience to create ‘Dreams on 22’.
With a craftsmanship magically reminiscent of those moments when a dingy afters is perforated by sunlight; Dreams on 22 is a sort of faux canonisation of the dawn dreamscapes we all miss and love. An ode to the oblique times we spend with the legends who make the world worth living in.
‘DreamOne‘ links the disparate worlds of Shawlands and Neukölln, a gritty roar and screaming filter puncturing the warm layer cake of fuzzy emotion in beautiful accordance. ‘DreamTwo‘ jumps through the gears at near footwork pace, omitting the kicks in favour of that Barker-like elegance of construction via beatless euphoria. The subtle field recording lifted from an unidentified afters at the end of the track gives it a neat, original touch.
Sharing the intensity of the previous track, ‘DreamThree‘ exudes Detroit power, with the classic crunchy chords panning and intertwining smoothly with a rolling bassline worthy of the legendary Moving Shadow.
‘DreamFour‘ returns to emotive ambience, where dream-fuelled pads relay an intricate story birthed out of a magnanimous need to write and create eloquent soundscapes. Dream_E’s natural ability to design is once more apparent in ‘DreamFive‘; a clanking, downtempo mixture of broken IDM breaks, a reverberating vocal and gently melting chords.
‘DreamSix‘ dips its toe into electro territory via a dancefloor leaning composition, however it still remains firmly in the dutiful downtempo realms, with its stirring bassline rousing any stragglers from an incoming slumber. We end with ‘DreamSeven‘, a fleeting, rain-filled excursion of chiming chords evocative of the nostalgic intro to ‘Valley of the Shadows’.
Is the sequel better than 001? The comparison is moot. Both records are of an unbelievably high and versatile calibre, and we have no doubt that this record will be equally well received by the punters. Props to the Pace Yourself team for handpicking and fine-tuning like pros. Dream_E has done something special here.
‘Dreams On 22’ is scheduled for release 22 June via Pace Yourself. Order a copy from Bandcamp.
TRACKLIST
A1. DreamOne
A2. DreamTwo
A3. DreamThree
B1. DreamFour
B2. DreamFive
B3. DreamSix
B4. DreamSeven