Tom Vernon 'Amber Fade' 12"

Tom Vernon is a relatively new face on the house music scene. Hailing from the Channel Islands and currently based in Swansea, the young producer mines memories of his travels and brings gentle, seaswept beats to the fore in his debut vinyl release, Amber Fade EP on Shall Not Fade’s blissed out sublabel Lost Palms.

The record opens out with clamouring field recordings taken on Vernon’s travels in Japan; the cacophony melts effortlessly into the muted beauty of ‘Amber Fade’, its cold synths and sombre chords striking a perfect emotional balance. ‘Tilted’ similarly plays with ambient elements, lush pads easing their way out of the sounds of a waterfall but the natural sounds are contrasted by a touch of acidic 303. This hint of the club is forefronted in ‘Late Nights’, which dials up the energy with chunky big room drum loops, a stirring piano section showing Vernon can turn up the heat without losing the emotional side. On the B-side, ‘This Moment (I Feel)’ toys with a muzak sound palette and dazed poolside beats. ‘Disappear’ leans heavily on an electro beat; but for a hazy elongated drop it’s a heady dancefloor number, before easing off again into the closing track. ‘Start Again’ is full of texture and character, cleverly arpeggiated synths cascading over a soft house jam.

Expected: 28th May 2021