Premiere: A1 – SAMU.L – Skyline [TRMNL002]

Birmingham outfit TRMNL have been a super power in their local scene and the UK as a whole and their label has only bolstered what was already a solid skillset. Having premiered their first outing as a label last year they are now all set to drop a rather personal EP for their second outing.

TRMNL resident SAMU.L who has been with the crew since the beginning has been given a rather intimate musical upbringing by the TRMNL brand and his ‘Skyline’ track has grown to become something of a TRMNL anthem. It would seem that now is as good a time as ever to release the EP with a host of remixes and an additional track.

‘RICFAB’ is a moody groover that swaggers alongside a mid-paced bass heavy conga beat. This track is all about suspense and release as the riser in the background swells throughout the first section of the track until the pressure gives way to a punchy snare / clap and bounding bassline. It is easy to see that SAMU.L has been able to finely tune these tracks with the TRMNL dancefloor in mind. The track is a fairly straightforward one but magic is all in the execution and the upfront beats really hit the floor in the chest.

The original mix of ‘Skyline’ is also a masterclass in refrained minimal tech house. The undulating bassline that underpins the action keeps the dancing feet happy while the repeated grooves let the hands know that its nearly time to reach for the roof. The stunning vocal that emanates from the track really elevates the track to something really special. The fact SAMU.L has been sitting on this for so long is a crime but having this in your locker to pull out for those special moments and also his own live sets makes perfect sense.

Herck’s version of the track uses the vocal sparingly and instead melds it into his own intricate style that turns it from a peak time anthem to a more day time mind bender. Seb Zito goes completely the other way dials up the vibes even further. The grinding bassline he employs is nothing short of face melting and the panning percussion really helps to move the track about so that the vocal and cut through. All tracks do the original serious justice we just hope that tracks of this calibre don’t take too long to make an appearance.

TRMNL002 from SAMU.L is now available at Juno.co.uk.

More info on SAMU.L
Facebook | Resident Advisor | SoundCloud | Discogs

More info on TRMNL
Facebook | SoundCloud | Discogs