Satin Panthers spits into life with “Octan”, a dead-eyed arpeggio underpinning the track, providing shifting foundations for demented chords to envelop and layer in breathless concertinas. Restraint is in plentiful supply, a guarded poise upholds a cinematic elegance that lingers throughout the rest of the EP.
“Thunder Bay” instantly ramps things down, warring riddims and sinister horns encase vocal shards, as the track pulses and vibes with a thugged-out dynamism, silky carnival vibes loaded with menace. “Cbat” brims with widescreen ambition, seamlessly shifting from heightened dramatics into low-down club vibe. Hardly surprising that Tinie Tempah has earmarked this one for a future single.
“All I Need touches” on this nostalgia, all skidding keyboard struts that skitter and glide are absolutely divine, punching hot and cold around pickpocketing vocal sample euphoria. “Thank You” continues much in the same vein, a breathless conclusion of jittering, kaleidoscopic fuzzed out rave moments.
Satin Panthers represents Hudson Mohawke at a crossroads, a glimpse of his sonic location as the followup to 2009’s Butter comes into view. This feels like moment of intense dreamlike respite, a maturing of this Glaswegian talent that has a lot more blossoming to come.