Image: Fabric
Having recently revisited 2017’s Arla II, it’s fascinating to consider how Overmono have evolved over the years. While those first three outputs felt wildly experimental and deftly idiosyncratic, their recent work has settled into a sort of accessibility that sees them crafting beats that would sit comfortably in any Boiler Room set, culminating in last year’s rather prosaic EP, Everything U Need. While that release sat well with their fanbase, it seemed like a strange halt in the auteurship displayed across the scope of the Arla trilogy, in particular the subversion of UK dance music tropes as had been exercised on Arla II.
Arguably, the latest offering from the duo shares the same sort of basement energy that courses through the blood of Arla II. Released via Poly Kicks, BMW Track and So U Kno are the second taste of Overmono’s forthcoming fabric mix, due for release in July. They are two of three new original tracks to feature on the mix, together with the previously released If U Ever. In contrast to the latter, these tracks emphatically lean towards garage & jungle influences. The scattered breakbeats employed on both are perhaps what most closely echo the erratic progressiveness of their earlier work, and when taken beside the slick, optimistic tech-house of If U Ever, marks a welcome return to an edgier sonic aesthetic.
BMW Track presents us with Overmono’s most outright take on jungle since 2018. Beneath hypnotically droning bass, the beats here recall the percussion driven style explored by the duo on Whities 019, and when they recede towards the track’s final act they reveal a deliciously simmering chorus of synth rips that carry BMW Track to its conclusion. So U Kno is shamelessly UKG with low, rolling bass and a pitched up chopped vocal bit providing a melodic refrain across the track’s stuttering breakbeat. Both tracks are stunningly textured, with layers of sound and embellishments folded in to create an experience thrumming with detail. The aesthetic sensibilities of these tracks and the inclusion of artists such as Orca and Holy Ghost on fabric presents Overmono hint towards the mix going in the direction of classic underground UK dance styles, a direction that admittedly feels rather exhilarating.
fabric presents Overmono will be released on July 16. The package also includes an exclusive track from Blawan, which will be released in the forthcoming weeks. You can pre-order it here. Listen to BMW Track below and download it plus the B-side, So U Kno, here.
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