Mike Drones & Loëpa - Still Bad

Following the February release of Mike Drones & Loëpa’s dazzling debut EP Bad Habit, which received support from Dummy, Insert, Emily Dust, Michelle and more, we returned with Still Bad - a diverse reimagining of the original project, uniting six of the UK’s most sought-after young producers.

1) Leeds-based Dubstep upstart Rednote (Locus Sound/Dubtastic Records) opens this collection with a hypnotic, rolling take on ‘Bad Habit’, chopping the earworm hook of the original into expansive dub echoes, alongside warm pads, emotive melodic flourishes and knocking 808s. This eyes-half-closed, minimalist rework offers the dancefloor potential teased by Mike Drones’ original, yet with every ounce of its inherent sadness still intact.

2) The enigmatic Klasey Jones, having recently enjoyed widespread acclaim through his affiliation with Plastician and Terrorythm Recordings, has emerged from the shadows to rework ‘Ladies First’ into a glistening, trap-tinged wave anthem. Here Loëpa’s ethereal vocal melodies spiral amongst blissful arpeggios atop a nostalgic synth-wave backdrop - an angelic ghost in the machine, the whispers of some guiding light.

3) Techno experimentalist Hedchef (Circular Jaw/Dissident Sound/Eatmybeat) has transformed ‘To Live Upon A Leash’ into a punishing, groove-shifting 132BPM workout, featuring his signature sheetmetal percussion, ominous atmospheric drones and snarling synth growls. With enormous recent co-signs from the likes of I Hate Models, it’s a certainty that Hedchef’s unique brand of UK Techno has an important place on the international stage.

4) Fork and Knife (1Forty/Articulate Sound) has recently taken the UK Bass scene by storm with his uniquely colourful, whimsical brand of dancefloor weaponry. It was therefore no surprise that in his hands ‘Still High’ become a dynamic grime riddim to be proud of, complete with pitch-shifted vocals, horn stabs and polyrhythmic rolling snares.

5) Drumterror (Six Sunsets/Shitty Dubstep) offers a typically twisted, progressive and pulverising take on ‘Moses’ - juxtaposing huge organic percussion with jackhammer synth stabs, suffocating sub-bass and mutated squeals. Loëpa’s ‘I’m a sinner’ refrain has never sounded more justified.

6) Highly experimental ‘audio vandal’ Daniel Ruane (Natural Sciences/Infinite Machine) was a natural choice to close out the project. His cataclysmic, glitched-out remix of ‘Bad Habit’ brings us full circle - pushing the audio manipulation of Drones & Loëpa’s original project to its absolute conclusion. Here the sonics begin to degrade and destroy themselves under their own weight, just barely clinging to remembered melodies before eventually spluttering out of existence.

PRESS: 3000 Blog Premiere | SeekSickSound Premiere | Loose Lips Premiere