Scottish producer Stephen Kirkwood rolls out his new Kunky alias with his debut release under the moniker. The Waveform Transmitter‘s Ste Knight takes a listen to Come With Me, out now on Respekt Recordings.
Those of you who are already familiar with Stephen Kirkwood‘s output will know that he has been a prolific producer on the trance and techno scenes, so it will come as no surprise to you that his latest EP, released under his new Kunky alias, is the perfect marriage of the two sounds, as the four track EP draws influence from both genres.
Working alongside Louise King, who appears on vocal duties for the title track, Kirkwood has leveled up four productions for the release, which dropped on Respekt Records on April 5th. The release opens up with the title track, Come With Me, and as King‘s mesmerising vocal beckons the listener to step into the soundscape, Kunky brings in some thunderous percussion and an infectious, trance-y bassline to give the track a driving quality that is brimming with energy.
The rework comes from Joe Blake, who has been sending sonic ripples out from his base in London. He introduces a nifty breakbeat to proceedings before dropping us into banging techno territory. The result is a monster remix that puts Blake‘s own stamp on the track, while maintaining the integrity of the original.
Needin’ U comes in next, with a flurry of claps and buzzsaw synth swells, the third track on the EP is a peak time bomb that should is guaranteed to see any dancefloor explode into a sea of raised fists. The closing track, Oblique, sees us out with a touch of trance, as string stabs kick off about a minute in, heralding the arrival of a classic trance sound. I swear I know that ‘Ooh-Yeah’ vocal sample from somewhere too – answers on a postcard, please!
You can grab your copy of the EP, available now via Respekt Recordings, here.
