Andy Stott – Replace EP

Love Andy's deeper and perhaps less experimental stuff as exemplified by the B2 on this release (B1 also excellent), and was looking forward to a nice mint copy that arrived today, only to find that despite being wrapped and record looking absolutely pristine, side B had two lo-fi 'skrskrskr' noises (as if sampled off Shawn O'Sullivan's 'Security' track) throughout the entirety. Can't help feeling this is a bad pressing which is hugely disappointing. Modern Love has/had an impressive stable of producers and if it is a bad pressing it's a shame for the artistic output to get spoiled by the process of laying it down on plastic. Second attempt at buying this release (first looked like it had gone 12 rounds with a tiger, much to the faux horror of the seller: "What, me, Guv?") so sadly won't be trying again...

Superb debut 12 from this manchester lad. These fresh tracks are brilliant mixture of electro, deep detroit beats , house and that special computer soul that i call lickhouse. Made in the same studio space as Claro Intelecto but without the harshness of claro's harder tracks. This 12 is an understated masterpeice of 'the other people place sounding deepness on the b side tracks, Replace being the standout for me. With random sounding beats ala anthony shakir's work on the 7th city label on 8ight. This young man will go far !