After more than six years away from releasing music, Glasgow electronic artist and producer CLOBR returns to the dancefloor with Ignite the Signal, a compact EP that sounds less like a comeback than a switch being flicked back on. With more than three decades spent around house, electro, vinyl and underground club culture, CLOBR knows his way around a groove. The July 31 release draws from the kinetic spirit of 90s house and big-beat electronics while keeping its feet firmly in contemporary independent production.
The title track, “Ignite the Signal,” wastes little time getting the party started. Sharp, vibrant electronic textures spark against a buzzing, pulsating rhythm, creating the sort of restless momentum that makes sitting still feel like a bad idea. Sparkling details dart across the mix while the beat keeps chugging underneath. US vocalist and songwriter Daniel Melody supplies the vocals, delivered with a smug, speaker-box smugness that gives the track an infectious attitude. It feels deliberately larger than life, like a voice booming from a club PA and daring everyone in the room to pay attention.
The second track, “A Wee Visit from the Wife,” takes a more playful turn. Its engaging buzz and buoyant beat bring a lighter touch, letting CLOBR show that his musical instincts aren’t all about pounding rhythms and maximal energy. There is a cheeky charm to the track that keeps the EP from becoming a one-speed affair.
Across both cuts, CLOBR’s hands-on approach is evident. He wrote, arranged, produced and mixed the music independently in Glasgow, building the tracks instinctively rather than chasing whatever production trend happens to be fashionable. His influences, from The Chemical Brothers and Leftfield to Kerri Chandler, Andy Weatherall and 90s Italian house, surface as ingredients rather than imitations.
After six years off the release circuit, Ignite the Signal feels like CLOBR reconnecting with the reason he started making music in the first place: energy, freedom and, above all, the dancefloor. The signal is very much back on.
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Review by: Naomi Joan