CD: Gorgon City - Escape

Dance music duo Gorgon City exist within a fickle market.

It’s all very well to mooch about on a Saturday night in Woking to house music merging into pop, R&B-tinted, smooth, garage-flecked, touched with just a whiff of Ibiza’s hedonic promise, but does anyone know who makes it or actively care enough to pursue them? Gorgon City fired out a run of Top 20 singles in 2014, but haven’t had such attention for the songs thus far released from their second album. It is, however, no worse - and may even be slightly better - than its predecessor.

In any case, their market changed years ago. Singles used to be key but only still are insofar as they fuel the desire of clubs and festivals across the world to pay acts to perform PAs and/or DJ. There’s been no drop-off in Gorgon City’s appeal on that front. And there’s certainly sufficient interest on Escape to hold the attention.

The best tracks have a zest and bounce that’s contagious. “Hear That”, featuring perennial UK underground MC D Double E (of Newham Generals), is a great tune, zippily combining a grime mood with the genre’s UK garage origins; “Blame”, featuring singer Josh Barry, is a classy Disclosure-style electro-rhythm’n’blues chugger; and “Go Deep” is thoroughly contagious, pared back pop-house. There are other tracks that are OK, inoffensive but basically wine bar ear chewing gum, and there’s a small portion of unpleasant cheese. For some, interest may be boosted by a long list of guest appearances, including Duke Dumont and Yungen.

Gorgon City adhere to a cool deep house sensibility, deeply flavoured with UK bass culture, never wandering into the crass corridors of EDM. Their music never truly takes wild flight or real risks but presumably their followers don’t want that. And the very best of Escape is well worth a dance.

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