As someone who spends a good portion of his free time trawling through mountains of new music, it can be soul destroying to hear so many similar records that are, to put it bluntly, boring as fuck. However, every so often there’s a record that comes out of nowhere that absolutely floors me. Cairn by Brecon is one of those records.

A new collaboration from the mighty Joe Farr and Will Brown, they drop their debut E.P. on Max Cooper’s Mesh imprint on August 16. Drawing on their years of experience as established producers in the UK scene, this new project fuses their heavier dance music heritage with a penchant for introspective melodies. 

The production is so slick throughout the whole E.P. ­- full of immense percussion and a vast range of tempos, you can tell a lot of thought has gone into every note. Each tune offers something different, whether it’s the more four to the floor stylings of “Erode” or the Vex’d esque “Adverse”, you can tell their influences span across everything from UK garage and early dubstep through to house and techno. It’s a release that sits perfectly on the Mesh roster as well.

In the words of Max Cooper:

“When I first listened to Brecon I was struck by something new – the strength of the rhythmic approach in the context of beautiful arp-driven synth music. There’s a mastery of the drums, so sparse, but so effective, without resorting to the usual tropes we’re so used to in this melodic context. And the melodies so saturated to give them an edge in fitting with the percussive approach. It made me excited to hear something new and full of life, which was also so compatible with what I play and what I’m doing with the label.“

He pretty much hits the nail on the head. Hands down one of the best releases of the year. Already looking forward to their next release, and (fingers crossed) live shows.

Cairn  is out now and can be previewed and picked up through Boomkat.

Tracklist:

01. Half Light
02. Scarp
03. Erode
04. Adverse
05. Scattered
06. Subside

Opening track “Half Life” also features on Max Cooper’s Balance Music mix below. It comes in at 2.20 mins.