Recreations – Sam Duckworth

Friday

Recreations (Sam Duckworth, formerly known as Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly.) has signed with Xtra Mile Recordings and will release his new four-track download EP Digital Ghettos on 5 February 2016. Recreations may be a new moniker for Sam, but his work ethic and refusal to stick to a template in either influence or sound is not just familiar but oh-so welcome.

After a few years of experimenting, releasing tracks with Shy Fx, Baaba Maal and a variety of work with Dutch house legends Kraak & Smaak (including topping the German club charts), Sam Duckworth has settled on a sound. Falling halfway between Get Cape… and his experiments, Recreations is the product of two years of investigation. Fans of GC.WC.F. will recognise his distinct lyrical nouse, but in his own words Recreations is “more heart on sleeve, bolder, more direct, and a little bit more emo”.

‘Built To Last’ has a distinct drum-machine shuffle, while guitars glimmer in the background, and Sam’s vocals later bloom with a capella harmonies. ‘Icicle’ is joyously catchy with a simple three-chord grind, ebbing electro echoes, a reassuring drum rattle and chirruping synth mice getting in on the act. ‘Shake It Off 2’ might be the most GC.WC.F. track with its Casio lines, social conscience and honesty. ‘Digital Ghetto’ has a warm crackle, a nostalgic lyrical lean, and a surprisingly funk-laden chorus among the chiming, half-spoken verses.

As an introduction to Sam’s new musical pathways, it’s both familiar and intriguing, capturing the same sweet spots his previous highlights did, but intersecting at several different sonic crossroads. The EP is a taster of the new, forthcoming album due in April, and should allow Recreations time to grow from an old friend with an inspiring new outlook to an invigorating outlet with an appeal all its own.