The Lobster white label series finally gets back into gear with a sublime five-track scorcher from core London member Luke Palmer aka Ozel AB. After firing some deafening shots with last years Crimes EP - which burrowed deep into some seriously trippy and journey d house, techno and acid - Valis sees Palmer develop those evolving arrangement ideas across five very different soundboards that bring his signature brain-fuzzed deepness, rubbery acid and dubbed-out sound design to the fore.
Allejo is the morphing club slayer, built on a stack of crystalline synths that slowly breakaway into a gutter full of tumbling basslines and shuttered chord stabs. Proper heat that's been battered by the LT fam since early last year.
Down The Cut is a deep and mysterious cut, channeling Palmer's knack for paranoid atmospheres and suspended tension into a cloak 'n' dagger style spy pursuit. All moving shadows and shifting figures under late night lamp light.
Built around a bubbling and squelching synth loop, Glow is the central ambient skit providing a pivot point and gateway to the flip-side of the EP, where live favourite and full extended jam Stoosh 95 opens proceedings. Almost a forgotten 90's classic - if it wasn't pitched down to a dragging, groove-soaked tempo - this is Ozel AB in his most dangerous state. Forever building layers of grooves and percussive teasing, punctuated by small spoken word whispers and ending in utter euphoric bliss from the lush, sun-gleaned synths to the chopped vocal wails. File under big time room-crusher.
Then rounding out the proceedings is the prickly Needler. Broken air con-esque blasts of foggy noise crash over a camel-humped bass-line and more late night contemplative pad work, which does a full about turn into a final minute of hazy London garage. Another little surprise to keep the toes tickled 'til next time.