Donga & Blake - Grown Ups EP

For release number five, Well Rounded goes deep with the debut release from Donga & Blake. Label owner Donga met Blake when both DJ'd at Brighton’s forward thinking drum’n’bass night Carbon, spinning similar shades of the deeper end of dubstep. This lead to the idea of hooking up in the studio, and whilst initial experiments at 140bpm were promising, it wasn’t until they decided to lower the tempos to housier speeds that their sound clicked into place. This sound is a balanced fusion of soulful house, deep textured techno and rhythms absorbed from garage, funky and broken beat. These three immaculate tracks have a simple appeal but also contain many layered sonic details for the closer listener. ‘Grown Ups’ is a sweetly swung garage/tech-house hybrid. Skippy hats, swish shakers, sophisticated subs and suave lead lines combine to produce a restrained but compelling vibe that feels timeless, natural and right. ‘Detroitus’ has a UKFunky rewired via Berlin feel. A hypnotising track with hovering vocal teases and enchanting melody over hushed house chords. On the AA side Berkane Sol head-honcho and producer extraordinaire Geiom takes ‘Small Hours’ on a languid yet eventful night drive. Soca-infused rhythms switch back and forth, basslines morph, twist and turn and chords and melodies are meticulously filtered and tweaked. For all the absorbing details this track still has plenty of punch and momentum.  

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