The boss himself is making the debut release on the label. The Bristol-based producer Alec Storey, alias Second Storey, is launching his own label, High Canopy, with the Ladakh EP. He seems to have bigger plans in mind – after all, he’s already selling T-shirts featuring the label logo. Above all, however, he presumably wants to use this platform to release his music exactly as he envisages it. This debut proves him right.
In ‘Blue Eye’, an edgy, syncopated beat with a wobbling bassline in the background forms the foundation for chords ranging from clear to moderately hazy. In ‘Urban Hermit’, jangling sounds in the higher frequency range then flit echoing over the lively breakbeat-bass combination, a bit like dancing in a hall of mirrors. Slowly swelling chords and pastoral tranquillity dominate most of ‘Post Columbia’, whilst arpeggios eventually provide a nervous yet drumless rhythmic pulse. ‘ABC Conjecture’ continues the dialogue begun in ‘Urban Hermit’ between restless activity in the depths and relaxed playing above, with the sounds—chased through various filters—gradually changing their character in this instance. In the title track, airy, flitting synthesiser textures and slightly distorted melodic fragments form the contemplative conclusion. A journey spanning 25 minutes.
Ladakh EP
