Linkwood: Expressions Vinyl 3LP

To say we've been waiting awhile for this one might be a bit of an understatement. We last heard from Linkwood (aka Nick Moore) back in 2009 with his excellent full length, System. While that last effort was a largely deep house affair, it bore a heavy boogie influence, somewhat fitting that it was released on Trus'me's Prime Numbers imprint. With Expressions, the Scottish producer seems to have gotten quite a bit deeper. The dancefloor ready title track first popped up on Prosumer's fabric 79 mix, giving us a taste of what was to come. It's a drums forward house track that's punctuated by a pleasantly looping bass line and soothing analog strings. The tracks don't all fall into the same mold, which is a good thing. Album openers "Sonrise" and "Outside In" take an ambient slide into the album proper, giving you plenty of time to get acclimated before the fast moving "Off Kilter (No Midi Mix)" kicks in. From there Linkwood moves between more jacking fair like "Ignorance Is Bliss (Live Mix)" and "Object," and more experimental tracks like the excellent "Reef Walking" and the spacious "Sigma 3." It's a remarkable feat, as there's plenty to dig into on the album. Especially impressive is the closing track "Love Lost," where Linkwood combines the best elements of his ambient explorations and more house oriented endeavors. Recommended.

• music label: Firecracker Recordings 2015

reviewed by Joey Coco 04/2015