Lone
Ambivert Tools Volume Two
R&S Records/12/Belgium
Lone, aka Matt Cutler, is a British dance music artist from Nottingham, England. He’s been plying his trade since around 2007, or has been putting out records since then. His early releases on labels like Dealmaker Records and Actress’ Werk Discs imprint were more IDM, downtempo or ambient in style. In 2009 his Once In A While/Raptured EP was released on Werk Discs and indicated a change in direction with Cutler steering his music vehicle towards the dance floor. “Once In A While” took the wide-eyed, ethereal house/techno atmosphere of “Pacific State” and married it to the kind of joyous feel you could find in ‘90s NY garage and Italian and American deep house. In fact the chimes on the track bring “Holy Dance” by Agua Re to mind.

On “Ambivert Tools Volume Two,” which will be released on August 17th, is the second part of the series that debuted on R&S in April of this year. On this EP he continues his journey through atmospheric, euphoric tracks that display his obvious love affair with that era. “Mind’s Eye Melody” strays down a similar path to tracks from Volume One like  “Crush Mood” and “Chroma.” A solid kick and crashing snare combination are paired with tumbling, glassy keys and the kind of dense strings that were draped all over “Once In A While.”

“Looking Glass” takes the glassy-keyed vibe of the previous track and fuses it with a chewy, staccato, electro melody line and some heaving sub-bass. The percussion bounces around in a UK garage style, punctuated by multiple rim shots and a repeating sample of a child chanting some indiscernible utterance. The EP finishes with “Under Cherry Blossoms (Minds Eye Reprise),” which is exactly what its title states, a dreamy mixing tool for the creative DJ to lay on top of the original or to use in other, perhaps more ambient, ways. A solid EP for the house enthusiastic who still dreams of the halcyon days of the early, rave-drenched ‘90s. Christopher Orr