Blackboxx – Osaka

Slime welcomes back Edinburgh-based producer Blackboxx to the label for his sophomore effort following on from the incredible ‘Sayonara’ EP. Across the last seven months since the release of his debut, Blackboxx has been garnered with praise and support from the garage underground all the way through to mainstream artists like Hannah Wants. Recalling the aesthetic sensibilities of the first wave of deep garage producers, but with a unique twist all his own, Blackboxx has extrapolated the melodic beauty of his first release and suffused it with a broadened sonic repertoire for his second.

‘Swoon’ opens proceedings with a cinematic flourish, rain-soaked choral vocals relenting to soaring strings and deep atmospheric beats. ‘Osaka’ develops the widescreen theme with a hypnotic melody drifting blissfully across melancholy chords, ethereal vocals and rumbling bass before unleashing some serious emotional resonance in its final crescendo. ‘My Love’ delivers a soulful garage floor-filler complete with delicate piano work and gorgeous vocals across a rolling 2-step framework. ‘Aurora’ starts off in an atmospheric haze before unfolding into an epic house anthem, soaring vocals and glittering chords exploding into a peak time classic in the making. Finally ‘Kush’ slows things down with a serene closing track, narcotic bass and skittering percussion framing a delicate vocal and sublime melodic touches.