A much more poignant and personal collection, Andrew Bayer’s sophomore LP is a natural progression for a producer who places emotion as central to the music making process, and has already picked up props from XLR8R, BBC 6 Music’s Gilles Peterson and Mixmag.
From the edgy glitch of Doomsday to the ethereal, emotive grooves of the Sufjan Steven-sampling Lose Sight (feat. Ane Brun), through to the epic, cinematic builds of Gaff’s Eulogy, each track tells its own story and stirs with emotion as Bayer blends the organic with the electronic in a way few producers are able. A contemplative and absorbing electronica LP, the full journey demands and rewards repeat listens.
As well as heralding Bayer’s coming of age, the album also echoes the broadening horizons of Above & Beyond’s acclaimed Anjunabeats label. Releasing a wide range of cutting-edge sounds, Anjunabeats has enjoyed BBC Radio 1 support from DJs as varied as Pete Tong, Annie Mac, Zane Lowe, Rob Da Bank and Nick Grimshaw, as well as clocking up Beatport genre #1s in electronica, dubstep, drum & bass and trance in the past 18 months.
With sub-label Anjunadeep recently releasing the debut album from the hotly tipped Dusky –‘Stick By This’ (“a beautiful album – one of the albums of the year” Pete Tong) – and launching the London duo on their trajectory as the UK’s most exciting new house music outfit, the Anjuna family is now reaching new heights in multiple different genres across the industry. With the release of ‘If It Were You, We’d Never Leave’ that looks set to continue.
Andrew Bayer ‘If It Were You, We’d Never Leave’ is out on Anjunabeats on April 22.
