Glimpse True South EP
Much like last year’s “Fat Controller” collaboration with Martin Dawson, “True South,” the title track […]
Much like last year’s “Fat Controller” collaboration with Martin Dawson, “True South,” the title track of the latest release from longstanding London producer Glimpse, is a swaggering house cut built around a chugging rhythm which makes an instant impression. Where the aforementioned 2012 tune built its hook around a heavyweight bass riff, however, “True South” grabs the listener’s attention with a simplistically infectious beat constructed out of gigantic, brooding floor toms. It slowly ramps up into a churning, spartan groove, one fleshed out by minimal bass hits, no-nonsense drum-machine patterns, and a cocky spoken-word vocal goading the listener into dancefloor action. It’s relatively bare-bones stuff, but there’s a raw, almost primal drive at the heart of “Truth South” that leaves a lasting effect.
By contrast, the EP’s b-side, “L Plates,” doesn’t make its mark so quickly, but nonetheless feels like a deeper and more complex tune overall. Instead of using the same kind of self-assured rhythms that populate the a-side, Glimpse plays with mesmerizing sample loops and muffled garage beats, all of which are led to a gentle climax by a delicate soul vocal. The song lands with less impact, perhaps, but its understated melodies are immensely likeable. London producer Tom Demac‘s excellent reworking of the track, meanwhile, ups the pace by adding a more lighthearted, party-ready house groove and a deeper bassline over his similarly soulful patchwork of loops.
A pair of extra tracks round off the True South digital package. “Whiles” finds Glimpse turning—to some extent—back toward the dancefloor for a tune that blends the chugging low-end of the title track with a melodic topline built out of wistful synth refrains and peculiarly re-pitched vocals. Finally, shady London collective South Soul Project offers up a remix of “True South” that layers on extra complexity via a wonderfully mechanized, lively drum rhythm, leaving only a tease of the original production’s unstoppably catchy toms underneath. It’s a fine effort, but ultimately—while there’s plenty across the EP speaking to Glimpse’s decade of experience, as well as a pair of particularly assured remixes—it’s the drums on the title track that will continue to bounce around the listener’s headspace once True South has stopped spinning.