ABOUT THIS ITEM

"Ecstasy & Friends", Lone's first full-length outing on Werk Discs, is a rejuvenating step back from the undeniable bass-driven style that has dominated the UK underground scene in recent years. Dreamy memories of Madlib are likely first impressions from these full-frontal productions, which come on like extensive workouts in melody and playful beats. Intriguing shades of post-club nostalgia pervade, underlined by warm, enveloping synths, while parallel sympathetic strands of muscular rhythm hit the mind and body with a refreshing and clean sound, willing and ready to go as hard in clubs as it does on the ears. This much-anticipated album fuses FlyLo-esque haziness and 808 drums and claps through a crate-digging production sound, which is as joy-reelingly bounce-laden as it is slaved-over and meticulous in its execution. Although inevitably grouped with the current wonky-hop movement of beat exploders, Lone's output is immediately distinct from his contemporaries. His tunes stand out a mile as they strive to maintain groove and soul, switching effortlessly from the hip-house-in-space stylings of "Endlessly", to a futurist R&B groove on "Waves Imagination". Delving into every beat pocket, "Ecstacy & Friends" hot-spotlights Lone's perpetual experimentation within hip hop's perimeters.