Sensate Focus 2.5

4th installment from Mark Fell's much hyped (for good reason) Sensate Focus series, a new label for neat house tracks. As usual expect the 12s to sell out in the blink of an eye!

X Y written by Mark Fell and Winston Hazel

"Mark Fell is usually known for his partnership with Mat Steel as the Sheffield-based duo SND. The two have been releasing records on labels such as Mille Plateaux and Raster-Noton since the late 1990s, taking a six year break (with only the pseudonymous Blir album released during that gap) between 2002-'08. They came back with a vengeance, opening an extensive tour for Autechre and releasing the triple 12" 4,5,6, followed swiftly by the album Atavism in '09. But in 2010 and '11, Fell released no less than four solo albums. Solo, the angular electronics and palette specificity were familiar to SND fans, as was the algo-rhythmic loveliness of his generative, techno-informed patterns.

In early 2012, Fell released his Sensate Focus project. The name also applied to his new imprint - distributed through Peter Rehberg's Editions Mego label - as well as the title of the release, a two-track 12". While Sensate Focus sounded unmistakably like Mark Fell, it was a side of him always implied, but never before realised. Its take on house and techno makes those two decades-old ideas sound brand new. Employing a sensual warmth, appropriate for the name, and the familiar energy of dance music, the exploratory rhythm compositions are layered beat patterns with funk and flair, evoking an undeniable body response as well as igniting the imagination."

Lisa Blanning - Red Bull Music Academy (read more from this article)