Taking a step back from its work on the dancefloors of the world, UK label Pictures Music branches out from releasing high-tempo bass music with a new EP from Essex-based producer Stuart Howard (a.k.a. Lapalux). The 22-year-old artist seems to prefer crafting chopped rhythms, slow-moving bass grooves, sporadic sample flurries, and other handmade audio treats, as opposed to the kinds of slick club burners we’re used to hearing from his new label home—and that’s just fine with us. Like on the fractured sounds of “Time Spike Jamz,” Lapalux’s formula exposes the bones of his productions, allowing the listener a chance to see the many ideas that float and flutter about inside his musical mind, but not without leaving us with a fully formed jam before the track’s end. Expect more of those revealing sounds when Howard’s Many Faces Out of Focus drops as limited-edition cassette and digital download on April 18.

Time Spike Jamz