After a series of acclaimed releases on Australian imprint Rosa and Bristol-based label Lamassu—along with standout albums on Astral Industries and Mana—the enigmatic producer Sa Pa makes a striking return with a new four-track extended player on Matthew Kent’s freshly launched label, Short Span.
Renowned for his deep, immersive take on dub techno, Sa Pa delivers a signature blend of richly textured, atmospheric soundscapes. Across four tracks, the record drifts through cavernous strains of refracted dub, experimental, glitch, downtempo electronics, and ambient-infused rhythms, further cementing his reputation for pushing sonic boundaries.
To offer insight into the vision behind Short Span, label founder Matthew Kent shared the following statement with Inverted Audio:
“Short Span is a new label i’m starting up. I previously co-ran the label Mana and oversaw the mix platform Blowing Up The Workshop before that. The new label is dedicated to longer, dubbed out, ambient inspired and fluid tracks.
Maybe extending some of the ideas that Mana explored with records like Pretty Sneaky and its single long blended sides. Or… mixes as releases, or long, loose recordings that have a lively and physical feel and a patient, revealing quality. Something to cue up and sit down to enjoy, not worry about having to get up too soon to change sides on.
The shadow of a label like Chain Reaction looms large over anybody aged 30+ I guess, and comparing yourself to those is a surefire way to have people tune out quickly, but I like how many of those records work as well as listening events, something to throw on while you’re working and never be bored by even if you’re not treating it as a primary focus, or maybe fill a room with sound and reveal something hidden and heavenly on a good system. There’s a lot of exciting music coming out with that language at the moment, and it’s also a fun challenge to throw at someone as an exercise. Make something dub and hypnotising. There’s a lot of room to play.
I’m hoping it’s also a series where I can put things out with artists quickly and easily, in a format that works ok within the weird place that releasing records is in 2025. Distribution is via Rubadub, everybody there is a legend!”
‘The Fool’ is scheduled for release on 14th March via Short Span. Order a vinyl copy from Inverted Audio Record Store and digital from Bandcamp.
TRACKLIST
A1. Captigon
A2. So Simple
B1. Boredom Memory (Extended Mix)
B2. Gausian Ecstacy