Cownie // Runner

Reminiscent of the work of Anton Zap or Jan Jelinek, _Runner _is a subtle take on the house genre, reducing its crucial aspects down to a pleasantly hypnotic, ultra-stylish affair. If repetition is the defining element of dance music Cownie master’s it perfectly, a variety of grainy, multi-timbral synth samples are developed at a restrained pace in a tightly locked micro-house groove. Complementing this, Runner features some rather heavily processed soulful vocal samples that remain characteristically minimalist. Drenched in reverb and a touch of delay, these increase the frequency of their appearances as the track progresses, leading up the final third of the track. This segment see’s the introduction of some discordant synth stabs breaking the dream like atmosphere developed up until this point.

The rest of Cownie’s soundcloud page shows the 22 year old producer can also boast significant versatility, his tracks all displaying different qualities from the sinister, Dusky style roller_ Eastern,_ to some fantastic disco-house edits in the form of Children Of The Night or _Tell Me What You Want. _Having originally grown up in Cheltenham on a diet of Jazz and BeBop standards, the now Leeds residing producer and DJ takes influence from the output of forward thinking labels such as Hessle Audio, Hemlock and Hotflush, as well as deep house labels including AUS music, Moon Harbour and Tsuba Records.

Those of you in the Leeds area may have in fact already witnessed performances from Cownie, as he does residencies at a number of local nights, including one at Oscillate Wildly, and one at Bigger Than Barry.

• Published
• Aug 18, 2012

• Credits
• Words by Theo Darton-Moore