Matt Young discovers spacey atmospherics on the Whitley Bay producer’s new single
Using samples from Arthur C. Clarke as he espouses upon his vision of the world’s future from the distant echoes of the mid-1960’s, Whitley Bay-based producer Arcade Skies merges Clarke’s uncanny and ‘fantastic’ technological predictions in with ambient synths, and washes everything in a suitably ‘spacey’ atmospheric cloud.
It’s reflective and chilled until around the halfway point when the heartbeat of drums is slowly turned up and then joined by a clatter of drum and bass that manages to edge the first half aside. The whirring electronic sax-like sound that’s in the mix too is initially an unsympathetic fit before settling down for the ride. It’s interesting but neither engaging nor danceable enough to aid many repeat listens.