Throwing Snow – Behest

The London via Bristol beatmaker shares this earthy and expansive slow-burner, set to appear on the 'Aspera' EP for his Snowfall imprint.

In an interview for FACT this summer, Throwing Snow was asked about the near magical qualities that permeate his production, noting, “I never really want a standard dancefloor progression, I prefer a more band-like feel I suppose”. A producer signalling his intent to create something away from the dancefloor risks sounding like a tired statement, but it feels instantly appropriate for a UK artist that has already proven himself adept to working in and around, but not quite inside, an easily definable aesthetic.

Aspera was shared a few weeks back, and will be the title track to the follow-up to this year’s confrontational ‘Clamor’ EP for Throwing Snow’s own Snowfall label, on which Behest will also appear. That track was brimming with an air of anti-progression, with a rhythm that clumsily meanders about in excitingly unpredictable fashion. But it’s the desire for a “band-like feel” that is so well revealed on Behest – in the sense that it feels so organic, so alive.

Almost by definition, sounding ‘natural’ is not something easily achieved in electronic music, but when it can be conjured it can be a powerful thing. The central beat here is immersed with sounds manifesting a chilly earthiness – as if it is trudging through thick mud and rustling autumnal leaves. Before things become too heavy underfoot, shards of lightness slowly break into the mix and are revealed, as coruscating, skyward synths overlap for the aching beauty of Behest’s closing section.