steve o'sullivan & ricardo villalobos: sullric

ltd stock. To the untrained ear – a collaboration between Mosaic boss Steve O’Sullivan and minimal house maestro Ricardo Villalobos may not seem like the most obvious sound clash. However, dig a little deeper and you’ll find that both these artists have a long history and shared love of stripped back aesthetics and dubbed out rhythms – carving out respective sounds that have never strayed far from their roots. “Sullric” is the result of a daylong session at the end of 2016 where the pair plugged in, switched on and set everything to cycle: recording several hours’ worth of material to tape – with an edit of their favourite passage worked into two versions in post-production. As you’d expect from anything Villalobos turns his hands to, the sound palette is fully laden with dreamy tinges of warped audio, pulsating synthesis and psychedelic tinges that are as equal as they are diverse – never failing to surprise. O’Sullivan’s input shines through in the rhythmic feel and the application of effects throughout, holding the entire track together as they hit on a moment that truly captures the spirit of joint electronic enterprise. The Side A edit totals 10 mins and leads with lighter touch hat work that evolves in layers and builds, focusing more on the bass edged tones and vocals that envelope the senses throughout: the use of meditative gongs and a large stringed breakdown cutting through the mix to maximum effect. Side B, titled the deeper dub, stretches over 12 mins and is slightly denser in feel as the rhythmic chug is brought to the fore - driving the track into a sparser territory that gives more ground and emphasis to the breakdowns when they drop. Either way, if you’re seeking some heavy beats with weird shit on top – look no further.