Deft - Always Greener - 12" Vinyl

2013 saw the Croydon man skilfully hopping from headphone to dance styles, often within a track, his signature blend of cinematic soundscapes and crisp, intricate percussion covering hip-hop, house, and ambient. What's more, his noteworthy contributions to the burgeoning UK footwork scene means the young producer can now count Mark Pritchard, DJ Shadow and Rockwell among his biggest fans.

Emeralds opens with bubbling synths, building into epic space-station jungle juke with haunting toplines and heart-shaking bass. Cavernous electronic atmospheres introduce A Little Kiss, which interleaves percussion and stuttering bass with the incredible attention to detail we've come to know and love. Octavia is a feisty younger sister to Loqux & Past, the Maya Jane Coles-championed hit from his Space Hardware EP; warm, headnod house joined by a SHOWER bass-line that roundhouse kicks its older sibling in the face for hogging the limelight. Maintaining the hyper vibes, Perky couples spiky footwork beats with slowly-evolving chords creating euphoric rises and falls, leading perfectly to the epic reflection of closing interlude On The Other Side. All in all, Deft is an artist who continues to develop in awesome and interesting ways, increasingly able to balance striking dance music with immersive ambience. And finding his path with similarly ambitious labels like WotNot, there's a not-too-distant future where Deft no longer worries that it's always greener on the other side...