Continuing their policy of ear to the ground A&R-ing, Svetlana follow up the sellout success of Kelpe's 'I Felt Fuzzy' EP with the debut release from an artist known as Microburst. Microburst is the quiet type of artist: he doesn't live in London, Bristol or Berlin, can't be seen hanging out in the background at Boiler Room or joining in scene debates on Twitter. What he does is live by the sea, spending a lot of his time out on the water, and condenses storms and seascapes and what people feel about them into nuggets of music that carry weight and power and large helpings of beauty. Despite keeping himself to himself, Microburst has already attracted serious attention. His remix for 'Talk In Color' was widely blogged and led to further remix requests from a range of artists including Seams, while his debut performance was described in The Line Of Best Fit as 'a revelation'. Most importantly, his music was chosen for a Calvin Klein Spring / Summer 2012 campaign, astonishing given he hadn't yet had a single release. A microburst is a weather phenomenon - a very localized column of sinking air that causes winds similar to a tornado, but travelling in straight lines rather than a circle. Similarly, 'Hadal Lagoon' has a lot of direct power. There's a clearly detectable link to dubstep, with a solid bass weight all the way through the record, and at the same time the strong melodies and reflective calm make a connection with the more human side of electronica, in the vein of Four Tet and Burial. 'Hadal Lagoon' is not a direct portrait of the sea. As the album cover indicates, it's an imaginary world of happy sadness that draws on the sea for its inspiration. It's music for underground train rides; for the shuttle bus to the terminal coming home on a rainy Thursday night; for the point in the long drive when two of the people in the car are asleep, and the other two of you can't be bothered to talk anymore. After a small burst of noise, reminiscent of static or rain on a car roof, 'Clutch' bursts from the speakers with a weighty elegance. The sound is balanced between propulsive bassline, a haunting vocal melody, and percussive synth stabs set in a rich texture. Less proud, more melancholy, 'Effects' steps up the tempo but, like BNJMN, while this is house music's tempo, somebody left the cowbell outside and traded it for a gorgeous deep and reflective element. A note of anger and aggression creeps in with 'Statues Glare'; the feel is reminiscent of 'Clutch', but the synths are sharper, there's an edge about this piece we haven't heard before. Kicking off the second side, the pace starts to pick up with 'Life In Angles', and the melancholy has given way to confidence. A shuffle beat is wed to a catchy vocal melody, and after two minutes everything suddenly gains strength. The wind's picked up and we're up and moving now for sure. 'Conformachord' is even more chipper, sneaking in some dubstep squelches and coming on with some proper attitude. We're starting to lay back and enjoy it, to get more in your face. This tune hints best at Microburst's live sets which can get properly rinsing. Finally, 'Flare' is the point at which we arrive ... wherever it was we were going. Where 'Clutch' contained a trace of dread, by the end of the record this has given way to a warm contentment. This is the sunset, the homecoming. Dotted with disembodied vocals, strums of guitar, and a lightness of touch concealing incredible layers of detail, 'Hadal Lagoon' is a production tour de force and a mature expression of the middle mood. With kicks and claps on top.
