SBTRKT - Hold On (Featuring Sampha)
Shrouding himself in anonymity, South London-based musician/ producer SBTRKT (pronounced ‘sub.tract’) prefers to allows his music to speak for itself. Donning a mask for each of his public performances, SBTRKT utilizes a minimalist ethos into his fusion of Detroit Techno and Berlin Electro. What then emerges is a sound laden in synths and syncopation, and whether it’s his own original work or a remix/re-edit of Basement Jaxx or Modeselektor, the result is cool, sometimes haunting, but typically provocative.
Featured in this post from our dear masked instrumentalist is the official video for “Hold On” off of his self-titled debut LP. Released under the label Young Turks (the XX, Glasser, & EL Guincho), SBTRKT is a cohesive collection culminating the vocal talents of Yukimi Yagano (of Little Dragons), Roses Gabor, and emerging artists Jessie Ware and Sampha. Though whether the video featured tonight is official or not, the notion that even the creator of this piece is as anonymous as SBTRKT himself is particularly alluring. The story follows the song’s overall theme of escapes and reinvention, suggesting that a mask not only hides our true face but also allows for a clean getaway.
Hold on to it, though. It’ll make for good foreplay.
Download: SBTRKT - Hold on.mp3
- ramos

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