lone: levitate

Lone AKA Matt Cutler presents his sixth album ‘Levitate’ – which marks a point of departure from the inviting warmth of ‘Reality Testing’s blend of hip hop and house. The listener is taken on a rapid joy ride through breakbeats that at times will leave them gasping. Following the blockbuster success of previous album ‘Reality Testing’ (and it’s all conquering single ‘Airglow Fires’), Cutler was left at somewhat of a musical impasse – a six month dry period with no new inspiration that was showing no signs of abating. The ‘epiphany’ moment came, during an enforced short break from touring in New York. Bed ridden and feverish for days Cutler started to hallucinate; “It was pretty terrifying – I’d try to go to sleep and I’d be hearing these mad rave tunes form in my head. When i recovered i was left with all these ideas for fast, feverish tunes. Following that we went to LA and hung out with friends, driving round all day in the baking sun playing these jungle and hardcore edits – all the best bits from rare jungle tunes, spliced together… There was something that really seemed to fit hearing these ridiculously energetic tracks whilst speeding around LA under perfect blue skies, that was amazingly similar to the music I’d been dreaming up whilst in New York. I couldn’t wait to get home and start putting this together – I had a new theme.” The resulting 9 track LP, a breakneck psychedelic journey through hardcore, jungle, ambient, clocks in at a fat-free 34 minutes – “After making a record as mellow as ‘Reality Testing’ it was important to me to not repeat myself – I wanted it to be an intense blast” Evident in the “punch in the face” heaviness of ‘Alpha Wheel’ and ‘Back Tail Was Heavy’ ‘Levitate’ is in many ways a spikier and more confrontational record than it’s predecessor, and all the better for it – however there are moments of familiarity, like the blissed out club bounce of ‘Vapour Trail’ (sharing DNA with perennial fan fave ‘Pineapple Crush’) and pause for breath in the hypnotic beauty of ‘Morning Birds’ and ‘Breeze Out’. ‘Levitate’ finds an inspired Cutler at his most energetic peak delivering a stunning record which feels both vital and contemporary.