Bantom Lions – Recollections [EP] – Scenery Records

Bantom Lions EP Artwork

Scenery records reaches it’s 5th release with another EP from home-grown talent Bantom Lions.

Following on from John Heckle’s barnstorming “Laid Away” EP back in May of this year, Scenery Records takes another giant leap forward with a four tracked release courtesy of another Liverpool based artist Bantam Lions. Having already impressed label boss ASOK (aka Stuart Robinson) with his penchant for warm fusions of frayed samples and live instrumentation, marking the label’s debut release back in 2012. Lion’s decidedly dusty and etched style is showcased in its full glory for his 2nd EP, and the label’s 5th release.

With the main focus on the title track “Recollections”, the EP opens with plush watery chimes and a shuffling jazzanomic rhythm base that give this a gorgeous groove. Sauntering into a mid-tempo shuffle, the background melody lifts the affair skywards as subtle twitches of bass and fluid effects gel to create an intimate yet reassuring feel, that is all too often missing. Placing you somewhere between the smokey haze of Chicago and a crisp day on the Mendips, Lion’s slow burn approach merely adds to the atmosphere and excitement of this heartfelt tune.

Accompanied by two classy remixes on the flipside courtesy of the talents of The Cyclist (Stones Throw/Home Breakin) and Mood Hut Man – Cloudface, the former launches into a maximally oriented slice of fizzy house and strips everything back to a heavier kick and the thrust of a slightly more prominent bass line. The result leaves plenty of room for a playful interplay between the wavering ofmelodic elements and synthetic textures that permeate the direction of travel, giving the original a much greater sense of urgency. As if by magic, Cloudface on the other hand executes his version by means of a slow-to-a-crawl version that soaks up a huge air of blissed out acidic weirdness that will have you sinking into its spacious innards in no time. Watch and listen in wonderment as the various parts float ergonomically, etching out the details and re-arranging the space in a manner that seamlessly detaches you from the real world.

The EP’s other original “Many Years Later” has Bantam Lions upping the tempo dial on his beatbox and laying down a straight ahead cut, centring on a spacey loop that slowly burrows its way into your mind as you drift through a concoction of soupy goodness. Marbled with atmospheric pads, a shifty set of hi hats rattle through as the buried synth emerges in and out of a foggy haze. Upping the ante with a mere clap and extra percussion, the loop gently yielding a greater level of intensity and is a fine exercise in building and releasing tension, whilst holding your head in a hypnotic sway – dare we say it, cultured house? Whatever your thoughts, this record offers a selection of cuts that hold up to repeated play and will no doubt hold their sparkling quality long beyond their time.