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Swimful 'Pearls' EP (SVBKVLT)
Shanghai-based producer Swimful is making some of the most exciting grime bits on the planet right now. Here, he returns to the SVBKVLT label for the second time, with new EP ‘Pearls’. Building on his penchant for exploring Eastern sino melodies and emotive textures, the package picks out four of his best new cuts, from the playful, bubblegum giddiness of the title track to the mournful, downbeat ‘Lonely God’ and the cutting, razor-like bass jabs on ‘Call Cards’. Remixes come from Letta, who reduces ‘Pearls’ to an almost beatless state by building a harsh, squarewave landscape all of his own, and fellow Shanghai producer Downstate, who traps out ‘Lonely God’ with swirling, hopeful melodies and thumping 808 bass.
8/10