Clayton Steele - Forget
Clayton Steele’s brand new FAWN Recordings label is a place for him to offer up his own exciting and adventurous musical wares. Founded on true artistic expression with no limitations, the first EP is a fine statement of intent from the boss himself.
Steele grew up in Ontario, Canada, perfectly situated between Detroit and Chicago. He soaked up the musical offerings, parties, labels, record shops and artists of those cities from a young age and used them to inform his own distinct sonic personality. Since then he has gone on to establish himself worldwide thanks to hosting Ultra Music Festival’s radio show, which airs on Sirius XM. He has also produced on No 19. Music to great acclaim and now steps out with his own promising new project.
Kicking things off with style is ‘Forget’, seven minutes of dark, Depeche Mode styled house with shadowy drones, slick beats and spoken word vocals that are filled with sadness. It’s an emotive cut that will cast a spell on any crowd. Then it’s the masterfully moody ‘Come Down’ with its mournful vocals repeating the title’s refrain. After a deep and atmospheric start, punchy drums begin to drive the cut along and suck you into a warm house groove which is embellished with circling synths full of soul.
The excellent ‘Love Left Behind’ again pairs aloof, tender vocal mutterings with a churchy set of chords. Underpinned by gently persuasive kicks and subtle hits, it’s a hypnotic cut for the more intimate moments on the dancefloor. The last fine track is ‘Sunset’ which is possibly the most club friendly of the lot, with jangling chords and dubby grooves performing acrobatics as the elastic beats bounce and bobble along. It’s cautiously colourful and optimistic and rounds out a well conceived and perfectly executed EP.
This is a standout collection of cuts that mark out this label as one to watch right from the off.
Tracklist:
1. Forget
2. Come Down
3. Love Left Behind
4. Sunset
