Andy Stott’s “The beginning” navigates in-between spaces

Andy Stott‘s the rare dub techno artist who’s remixed metal bands and played harsh noise festivals as well as touring with electronic heavyweights like Four Tet. He navigates a diverse set of spaces and paths that set him apart from most other modern producers. He’s a true chameleon, not simply because his music is always changing shape, but because he’s able to comfortably fit in within those disparate spaces.

“The beginning,” the first single from his first new full-length LP in five years, doesn’t contradict this idea, but like the best moments in his catalog—”Violence,” “Luxury Problems,” “Numb”—it stands impressively on its own while seeming fluid. Its deep bassline nodding to the post-punk history of Stott’s home city of Manchester, while its gauzy synthesizers and Alison Skidmore’s graceful vocals feel more like a half-lucid late night vision. There’s a feeling that this could slide into either blissful ambiance or a heavier disco pulse. It’s not that Stott rides fences, he simply doesn’t let them dictate where his darkly amorphous, beat-driven sound should go.

From Never the Right Time, out April 16 via Modern Love