Lee Bannon is releasing his new LP Pattern of Excel on Ninja Tune later this year.
The last time I heard Bannon it was his album Alternate/Endings; a dark exploration of jungle and hardcore somewhere along the lines of Zomby or Special Request.
The American producer was an unlikely candidate to come up with a jungle revival album, given his background as a hip hop beat maker typically associated with Joey Bada$$ and Pro Era (who we totally dig, by the way). The album was a surprisingly strong effort from a producer coming from the USA where – let’s face it – the sounds of the UK are often misunderstood or brashly misquoted.
Bannon has taken an entirely different approach with his upcoming release, which judging by the sample track is set to be full of explorative, ambient soundscapes. ‘Artificial Stasis’ begins a bit ploddingly, a few disparate samples held together lightly with a droning sub bass, until about half way through when a gorgeous transition shifts the mood completely. It’s stripped down and completely different from anything we’ve heard of his before.
Pattern of Excel drops on the 10th of July. Listen to sample track ‘Artificial Stasis’ below.