London-based producer, Sam Russo, drops the 'Wanderer' EP via the Air London imprint this October, backed with a remix from the ever on-point, John Tejada. ... .. Title track 'To The Brink' kicks things off here, and Russo opts for a warbling arpeggiated synth chord as the driving force, running alongside gritty drum samples programmed in a bumpy, off-kilter fashion. Things steadily bloom in this state as the envelope of the arp line subtly blooms, dark, low-end tones are worked in, and the latter stages introduce glitched-out atmospherics, adding a further weight to an already infectious, energetic record. The original mix of 'Wanderer' follows, Russo opts for a more strippedback, dubbed-out vibe this time. ... Last up to close the release is John Tejada's reshape of 'Wanderer', as with most things Tejada puts his ears to, the interpretation is unique and instilled with a rugged production appeal. … More

Matt Tolfrey’s Leftroom Limited brings you Sam Russo’s ‘Losing Things’, backed with a remix from Jack Dixon. Sam Russo has had a long running relationship with the Leftroom label and his collaborative EP ‘The Summer Soundtrack’ with Huxley back in 2011 led to a string of further releases on the imprint, pushing Sam into the limelight and helping to spread his wings further afield releasing original work and remixes with the likes of OFF Recordings, Air London, 1trax and Fullbarr. The release opens with the original version of ‘Losing Things’, employing raw shuffled drums, a bubbling sub bass hook and a processed spoken word vocal line as its driving force. The cut steadily blooms in such a state throughout its near seven and a half minute duration, subtly introducing tweaky acid licks and additional perc lines to fuel its energy. Stepping up next is Hotflush artist Jack Dixon reworking title track ‘Losing Things’. Dixon veers the record in an entirely different direction, creating an ethereal atmosphere with flourishing bell chime melodies and a bulbous sub-bass. The track builds to a peak, where Dixon strips back the groove and puts its focus on drums, bass and vocal snippets. Next we have ‘Delivery’, a low-slung house number with a stripped back vibe, crunchy 909 drums lead the way alongside a gritty saw-wave bass and more tripped out, delayed vocal lines. ‘Mailbox format’ follows, a perfect way to wind down the wax side of the release, Russo takes things deeper here with fluttering pads, a moody evolving bass hook and subtle manipulation on the synthesized elements creating a blossoming dynamic.
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Back after a brief hiatus, the air london imprint is proud to
present new recruit Sam Russo, who means business on
their lucky no.8 release. A two tracker of deep and dubby
tech-house ‘Violet Town/ You Need’ embodies analogue
grooves with no- nonsense attitude. Sam Russo is blessed
with the kind of technical prowess that many would expect
from a sophisticate with far more years behind him. A true
beat wizard, Russo has been firmly under the wing of
Leftroom label boss Matt Tolfrey, collaborating with him
and fellow young blood Huxley and is one of those
genuinely gifted engineers of sound with the potential to be
one of the most prolific producers on the London scene. More