aaamusic | On 26, Mar 2012

Over the past couple of years, Manchester-based producer Lone (a.k.a. Matt Cutler) has become a fully fledged reinvention of his former self. Leaving behind the hip-hop seasoned abstraction and hazy beatscapes of his notable ‘Ecstasy & Friends’ and ‘Lemurian’ albums for a quicker-paced sound that draws on a much heavier Chicago house / Detroit Techno and early 90’s London rave/hardcore sound. With his last album proper ‘Emerald Fantasy Tracks’ and last year’s R&S debut ‘Coreshine Voodoo’, we saw a honing of these styles. Continuing his ethereal journey through space and time where these previous two outings left off, new album ‘Galaxy Garden’ – that you will hopefully have in your ears right now – is without doubt his most complete body of work to date.

The varied excursions on display unearth new corners to the wunderkind, whilst maintaining his signature sound and cinematic overtones. Opener ‘New Colour’ lays down the album’s mandate with layers of symbiotic sound-scapes. On into The ‘Animal Pattern’, a rolling 8-bit bastardisation where visions of ‘Out Run’s Splash Wave’ come flooding back again. Nomrex label head Machine Drum makes an appearance on two tracks adding his hazy vocals to ‘As A Child’ and ‘Cthulhu’. The latter evolving into a mid tempo broken roller with key stabs which wouldn’t sound out of place on a Japan record.

Thing of beauty, ‘Lying in the Reeds’ finds Cutler in one of his more melodic, melancholic and reflective moods. This gives way to the ambient drone of ‘Dragon Blue Eyes’ and through to ‘Crystal Caverns 1991’; revival stabs, hardcore remnants, a frenetic cadence and we’re already half way through the album. Two uptempo, blissed out stuttered motion bangers – proceed in the form of ‘Raindance’ and ‘Dream Girl/Sky Surfer’. It’s ‘Raindance’ and the incredible ‘Earth’s Lungs’ where he wears his love of Aphex Twin and Warp most prominently, all the time maintaining a very Lone take on it. The album closes this Lone chapter with vocalist Anneka – who’s worked with the likes of Falty DL, Starkey, Ital Tek, Vex’d – and the track ‘Spirals’, which is the closest you’ll get to Cutler writing a pop song.

A rollercoaster ride of playful nods to a plethora of scenes and influences past, present and future, a residency at Manchester hot-spot Hoya:Hoya, upcoming shows all over the place, support for his tracks from the likes of Caribou, Diplo, Kode 9, Dark Sky, Rustie, James Holden, Martyn, Joy Orbison – to name just a few – remixes for Radiohead, Tensnake and Underworld already under his belt; it’s going to be quite a year for Lone. Cutler ended 2010 with his tracks ‘Pineapple Crush’ and ‘Once In A While’ featured in every respectable ‘Best of 2010’ roundup (Resident Advisor, Phonica, Juno & Fact Magazine). This an album to be treasured and one that will no doubt, end up in even more polls come the end of twenty twelve.

Watch the video teaser for ‘Galaxy Garden’ (out on 7th May 2012) album below:

‘Crystal Caverns 1991/Vulcan Acid’ single out 26th March, hear the former on Soundcloud below: