Weekly MP3 #220: Sampha - Subconscious

Frequent SBTRKT collaborator (or member? Depends where you look...) with one of his weird synth-led soul type tracks, available on Epitonic.

What could be some lush Giles-Peterson-friendly kind of jazziness is constantly subverted by weird noises, things falling out of tune, and pretty much nothing being steady for more than a bar or two. Still it's just a lovely summery tune, led by some electric piano, whistling, and a sudden soul vocal in the second half. One verse in, maybe it's time for the chorus? Ah, nah, fuck it, let's just collapse the whole track into a weird mess and stop there!

Sampha is one guy based in London. He sings and produces, and after dropping the EP this track's from in 2010 he went on to show up all over cool producer SBTRKT's album last year.

He sort of reminds me of a more cheery James Blake - quirky, often kind of noisy and ramshackle take on UK garage stuff, some similarity in the vocal tone... Anyway.  Heaps better than Blake, I reckon.