Sbtrkt has been one of the most influential producers of the past decade. What the project, helmed by Aaron Jerome, started with his 2011 debut laid the groundwork for modern day vocal collaborations between eclectic singers and MC’s, with electronically-minded beat-makers. The Little Dragon-featured “Wildfire” might just be the most significant dubstep-inflected collaboration of all time, and the now illustrious career of Sampha, began as the primary singer on both the debut and on 2014’s stellar follow-up, Wonder Where We Land.
But if there’s one thing Sbtrkt has also always been marked by, it’s in building mystique. Both Jerome and Sampha wore masks the entire time when they performed on stage, and to this day, Jerome has still not show his face in public. The mask motif and then the polymorphous cat from Wonder Where We Land (which was recorded on a sparsely accessible island)... are part of the signature Sbtrkt aesthetic. Jerome himself is highly elusive, and we’ve gotten no new music from the project since a Chance The Rapper remix four years ago. But now, a new chapter is building.
“Bodmin Moor” is the latest cut from Sbtrkt and it feels destined to be a part of a greater new universe. The song has two movements as it shifts from tension-building drums to a cymbal-heavy downtempo jazz break. In an email to fans, Jerome called it, “A snapshot of my mind at a point in time in the last 6 years.” The accompanying music video (directed by The Rest) hints at a multi-part story. Two hired hands search for a missing painting of a mythical panther (a visual theme for the next album, perhaps?) only to uncover that a secret society might be behind its theft. It ends with an ominous cliffhanger and the music soundtracks the mood masterfully. “If you know my music – you will know I don’t like to repeat myself musically – so expect the unexpected,” Jerome added. More is surely on the way…
Watch the video for “Bodmin Moor” above.
