Reviewed by Andy Shaw

Hailing from Swansea, Steve Lock has been honing his music production skills since 2007. His sound draws on a wide range of influences making it hard to pin down to one genre featuring elements of rock, hip-hop and electronic dance music. This EP features four tracks including two versions of "Stir Things" and attempts to cram a lot of different styles into a relatively short record. "Stir Things" has a retro hip-hop feel with the beat bringing to mind the Beastie Boys of the 1980s, and a harpsichord synth line that brings to mind synth pop from a similar era. A heavier bass synth adds depth and gives a bit more punch to the sound with Lock's vocal delivery treading a line between spoken word and rap. "But For The Thirst" is a bit more laid back with a chilled electronic dance beat and clean piano line giving a good contrast to the slightly distorted vocals and fuzz synth. "Jungle Love" features the hushed vocals of Sharon O'Brien creating a haunting atmosphere over a powerful break-beat that offers the focal point of the track. The record ends with an alternative version of "Stir Things" which doesn't sound noticeably different until the middle section where echoed drums and ominous spoken word create a hauntingly dark interlude before normal service is resumed. This is not a polished piece of work and at times it feels like too much is going on with various sections crashing into each other. But 'Red Blood, Blue Blood', originally released in 2014, is still an intriguing if flawed EP.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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