A Soul To Borrow is the second release by producer Nick Wilkinson under his Wilks moniker. Wilkinson’s debut EP Left Hand Drive (Bricolage) showcased a bright emerging talent and a producer that was focused on the more emotional side of electronic music. Music that was more heart than feet. A Soul To Borrow finds Wilkinson in similar territory however what is obvious from the very beginning is how much his talent as a producer has improved and how refined his compositions are.
From the opening minute of ‘Take It In’ which incorporates hollowed drums and wonderfully squelchy acid elements, you are aware that this EP has been created by someone well versed in the history of electronic music without allowing himself to be boxed into genre norms or cliches. This adds to wonderful blending of styles through the EP so we get the skittering heart of Jungle marrying up with the whispering beauty of ambient (‘Ameliorate’), the folktronica meets sharp tech of ‘Jupiter’, the industrial clang versus smoky jazz of The ‘Only One Left’ and closer ‘End Song’ which is pure static bliss, a track that floats us away on a bed of happiness albeit one that has a brief few seconds of uncertainty at the end.
It is, however, the title track which is the true centrepiece of the EP and the pure distillation of what you sense Wilkinson was trying to achieve with this project. ‘A Soul To Borrow’ is a finally balanced tug-of-war piece that finds the music pulling you towards a darker, more techno infused style which is guaranteed to get you on a dancefloor yet it also contains some extremely emotional higher end sounds that gives the whole piece a really uplifting element. This is a piece of music that makes you smile and stomp at exactly the same time. Hands up, head down and embrace the warmth that surrounds the song’s edges whilst also allowing the deep, beating soul to anchor you in the world of clubs and early hours epiphanies.
A Soul To Borrow is a big leap forward for Wilkinson and shows us that the Wilks project is one to keep following. It is an EP full of clever arrangements and smart touches helps keep the listener guessing. There are touchstones out there which you can use to help give people a rough idea of what they are about to hear (Four Tet, Underworld, Orbital) however this is pure authentic Wilks.
All Words by Simon Tucker
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