There's a lot of noise at the moment being made
about Midlands born Chris Pell a.k.a. Murlo. His Rinse FM guestmix
(courtesy of Brackles) was well received as a strong showcase of his
productions and since then we've heard news of a forthcoming EP on
Glacial Sound and forthcoming releases on Oil Gang and Mixpak. His
new EP comes on DJ Haus' Unknown to the Unknown and is a 3 track
demonstration of Murlo's ability to blur genre lines while
maintaining his trademark soca-influenced sound.
The title track, "Adder" is a playful riddim that
draws from UK Funky and Eski coupling jaunty, off-beat snares with
hollow gliding synths and eski clicks. The second track "Irises", this
reviewer's favourite, takes the grime influences even further with
marcato strings and “Danny Weed snares” to create a piece that's
dripping with originality. The lead comes from pipes that come in
intermittently with a particularly catchy riff in two octaves that
creates a sense of call and response. The closing track, "Palace" will
the most familiar of the three to people that have caught one of
Murlo's mixes recently. It's a summer tune, an R&B meets
dancehall track that channels feel-good Caribbean vibes.