The latest offering from our label series Culture comes from the international man of mystery Lao Wai. Originally from Manchester, now residing in Bologna, Italy after living in Xi'an in China, Lao Wai ('foreigner' in Chinese) has been knocking about the underground for a bit, releasing some quality tunes (including a severely potent cut with our boys at The Dreamers), and getting picked up for UKF's "18 to watch in '18" last year! Now he's back for 2019 with three servings of piping hot drum & bass for Culture.
'2U' is a genre-bender; sitting somewhere between a moody liquid stepper, and something much more techier and funkier, this tracks rolls out heavily, built by big sub stabs over a lovely little tech break. It has heaps of character, and is sure to stick out in any set, some lovely sampling on the hook complete the vibe perfectly.
Next up 'Drip' has a much darker and more minimal feel; introduced with some big, scary atmospheres and sampling, it drops into a minimal steppy track, with careful and unique sound design. Mids and bass expertly drift across the track, coming into being and then decaying in super interesting ways, creating a truly remarkable sonic field that develops as the track progresses. Plenty of weight behind this one, perfect for those deep, dark, minimal sets, very much a serious dnb tune.
'GoBYND' comes forward with a lighter vibe, liquid undertones in the intro backed up with ambience and signature vocal cuts. It blasts into a laid back minimal roller with some masterful hi hat rhythms and deep groovy bass. The track switches into a more staggered pace, vocal splicer delight! It's a perfect way to kick start a warm up set or listened to while lounging in the sun.
Lao Wai shows his scope of production skills with these three very different tracks; one a much more dancier take, one for the minimal heads and a liquid roller all of which contain exceptional quality and are super unique.
