With the unmatched pedigree that FatKidOnFire has built over the last decade, the label has a well earned power to reattract some of the genres finest producers of the past. For instance Simon Horne, one half of genre defining duo Nanobyte, returns to FKOF as Konessi this month alongside fellow producer and bass connoisseur, Ry Edwards. FKOFd053 is Konessi’s second outing as a duo following ‘Mr Shadow‘ EP on Kokeshi last year and one where they truly find their feet. Five tracks across multiple tempos is a first for the label, whereby Konessi develops a world of depth and euphoria including today’s premiere, ‘Shiva‘.
The opening ‘SOPHIA‘ is the definitive vibe setter. Warm, encompassing subs paint the backdrop of an enchanting track populated by transcendent synths and ethereal vocal loops, glistening in the soundscape like fireflies at dusk. It opens up an intoxicating world before today’s premiere ‘SHIVA‘ grabs the softly glowing torch, extending the floating synths to higher realms alongside innocent keys and vocal chops that for me, puts the track on a similar vibe to Bicep‘s huge ‘Apricots‘ tune earlier this year. But compared to the opening track, ‘SHIVA‘ offers harder hitting lows and a more explosive rhythm; the track most suited to stimulate an enraptured dancefloor.
The following two tracks ‘KAMBO‘ and ‘SUTRA‘, enables us to really see what Konessi can achieve with their expansive sound palettes, adjusting the tempo to around 150bpm and stirring up the emotions with a couple of deep cuts that wouldn’t sound out of place in a liquid dnb mix. The delicately rolling ‘KAMBO‘ is a particular highlight, with it’s tribal-like percussion and softly humming lows continuing what increasingly feels like a spiritual journey. The final ‘UNION’, drops back down to a more familiar pace at 140bpm for a final dose of life affirming bass. It offers a spine-tingling combination of both classic Nanobyte and vintage Burial – this is the quintessential Konessi sound I hope to hear more of going forward!
Of course it goes without saying that this is a stunning label debut from Konessi, but it’s also one of the first (or at least most recent) for FatKidOnFire where the release feels like a fully formed concept, be it through the music itself, the length of the track list, or the forthcoming music video and live sets that will leave many of us in a trance I’m sure. It’s the kind of conceptual scale I’d love to see in other darker areas of the genre that I’m more familiar with and I’m glad to see the pedigree of Konessi and FatKidOnFire lead the way.
FKOFd053 is out now and available to download from the FatKidOnFire Bandcamp with other platforms enjoying the release later this month.
Check out Konessi on Soundcloud and Instagram.
Check out FatKidOnFire on Soundcloud and Instagram.