Shadows & Silhouettes by Hugh Hardie

After a two year hiatus, Bristol-based Hugh Hardie returns with 13-stunning tracks on his second studio album, ‘Shadows & Silhouettes’. After the success of the ‘Colourspace’ LP, he’s continued to develop his drum & bass style, producing a plethora of beautiful summer liquid, slick drumfunk and smooth down-tempo beats. He’s teamed up with the high-rising talents Pola & Bryson, Silence Groove and Unglued, as well as singer-songwriters Emer Dineen, Cimone, Robert Manos and Charlie Brix.

Kicking things off is a glistening dose of summer soul, ‘Raindrops’ featuring London-based singer/songwriter Cimone. Calling back to the Hospital loungecore sound, this stunning liquid roller brings untold levels of elegancy with soothing piano and that feel-good flavour Hugh Hardie is loved for.

Another shade of Hugh Hardie’s latest musical design is ‘Resistance’. An unlikely pairing with Hospital’s young wildcard Unglued but this drum-heavy dancefloor monster has all the stand-out trimmings of a jungle banger with skittering synths and warped vocal cuts.

Back down the path of soul-filled drum & bass is ‘Endless’ featuring Emer Dineen, a voice recognised for her many features on London Elektricity’s own productions. Plus there’s ‘Negomi’, with its funky bassline riff and east-asian inspired string work.

In addition to an impressive array of solo D+B productions, ‘Shadows & Silhouettes’ also sees a special feature from Shogun Audio’s Pola & Bryson on ‘Siren’. Together they’ve created a real stand out moment of the album with this captivating garage / breaks 130BPM road trip.