Artist: Guy J
Title: Save Me / Night Loss
Label: Bedrock Records
By: Carleton Neil | 13 November 2007
Tracklist:

• A: Save Me
• B: Night Loss

Guy J "Save Me / Night Loss"

Entering the label circuit just last year, Guy J is already making inroads into the electronic music community. DJing since the age of fifteen, the 22-year old put out his first release, the 'Never Say No' EP which includes the deliciously smooth 'Ligod', and followed with 'Hazui' which appeared on Luke Slater's 'Fabric 32'. Offering up remix work for Trafik's indubitably named 'Club Trafikana' and frequenting Proton Radio's 'Ear Orgy' show many a time, his tracks have hit a slew of mix comps including Hernán Cattáneo's 'Sequential, Vol. 2', and John Digweed's latest 'Transitions, Vol. 3' includes 'Save Me', which is featured here.

Guy J's past tracks have swerved at one point or another from progressive to tech and minimal, but arguably never like these two tracks, which border more on eerie than anything else. The unsettling synths of 'Save Me' are like the stomach-twisting cry for help from a drugged 8-bit mime, the corners of his invisible box framed by 4/4 kicks and hats, the track claps as the mime slaps his hands on the insides of the walls, trying to escape the prison.

Determined to be some master of creepy, uneven tracks for this release at least, Guy J continues with 'Night Loss', wailing like a wandering ghost in grief. With a stringsynth from a 70s paranormal thriller in tow, they search for a loved one amidst cheeky snares, the track clinks like the chains binding the two together as they wind around pitch-bent stabs, and the expedition peaks more in desperate panic than delight.

Great for headphones, Guy J presents two tracks that are not celebratory, but wholly moving in their own right. Stretching out in different directions is exciting, and this release certainly adds to the breadth of Guy J's musical portfolio. Bedroom DJs looking to construct creative mixes will have a lot of fun with these two tracks.