Ashworth - Ashworth – Grain

Electronic music’s latest rising star Ashworth joins forces with the ever-excellent Needwant label for a debut album of hypnotic grooves and otherworldly soundscapes…

Joe Ashworth launched his Ashworth project in 2012, bringing the London based artist critical acclaim with releases on a host of underground labels. He has garnered attention not just from his solo releases, but also from a string of standout collaborations with the likes of DJ Mag award-winning Citizen and rising star Kiwi.

Ashworth’s music caught the attention of London label NeedWant, an imprint that has pushed the music of Mario Basanov, Kim Ann Foxman and Ejeca to name but a few, and established itself as a mecca for quality house and disco. Originally commissioned to record an EP for the label, Ashworth found himself in full creative flow, recording 20 tracks in just a few months. The team at NeedWant obviously liked what they heard and the EP transformed into a stunning debut solo album.

Built around 12 stylistically diverse instrumental tracks, Grain is a truly captivating and engaging electronic opus. There are clear influences here from minimal, dub techno and deep house, especially in the more club focused tracks, but with a sonic palette that encompasses personal field recordings and obscure animal noises, there is a genuinely expansive feel to the whole LP. Cuts such as opener ‘Cork’ and the excellent ‘Grain’ take a house inspired tack whilst Ashworth’s darker side moves front and centre in the rolling techno of ‘Adder’ and the brilliantly non-linear ‘Fireworks.’ Amongst the club-centric recordings there are a series of wonderful compositions that put aside the bass and drum programming and find their structure through delicate melodies, layered textures and scattered percussion; ‘Épée,’ ‘Clouded,’ ‘Descent’ and ‘Stomping Ground’ all being great examples. Brought together, these disparate styles meld to create an album that is even stronger than its already impressive composite parts.

This debut LP is a superb insight into the production talents of a truly exciting producer and is yet another feather in the cap for the much lauded NeedWant label.