Strap yourselves in, we’re going on a journey far, far away with this one.
After a year spearheading some incredible releases as the A&R brain behind the Conspiracy Crew, Nate S.U returns for a victory lap on home turf with CON009. Although ‘home’ isn’t necessarily the right word, no, instead Foreigner sees Nate look deep into his crystal ball to sonically illustrate tales from foreign lands of fancy. With a soundscape that shows incredible progression from his last offering on Conspiracy, he dives into a racy slew of tunes that are certainly not of this planet.
Opening the floor, Coco demands attention with a driving kick-snare pattern and a swampy bass, before Nate’s signature technical percussion and an eery riser deliver the listener straight to the doorstop of a veritable haunted mansion plucked straight from his own mind. Beckoning victims in with whispers and finely-chopped vocals, the tune literally slams its door, trapping you inside a twisted, tumbling and all-the-while grooving mess that simply couldn’t be produced cleaner.
One part dream, one part nightmare, Signs Of Slowing shows anything but – employing glitchy highs and scattered hits to ring in the hero track of the EP, before sealing the deal with a pumping hat groove. Abandoning the demonic vocals of Coco and welcoming a softer, feminine touch to narrate a scene of war, the track pits delicate pixie-like vocals and shimmering chimes against the whomping, acidic-flavoured bass that strives to consume all it encounters – fortunately it’s restrained by one hell of a percussive pocket laid down by S.U
The title track itself is a number for the house heads: the raw ensemble keeps things fast with a low-down swinging bass line and glimmering stab that pulls the listener out of their trance-like state and places them in a space reminiscent of the Chicago club but warped by S.U’s signature minimal flair. The rave-inspired romp continues to delight as it drops through the floor of the club and into a cavernous breakdown of trickling synths, falling to meet a low rumbling bass that proceeds to rise back from the depths in a rapturous fashion. It’s the sort of tune that’s sure to leave dance floors begging it be played start to finish.
