Ripperton and Joy Frempong - Sirens (Compost) [Future Soul]

Ripperton has been a long-time force for good in the Swiss electronic music world; initially paying his dues behind a record shop counter and early hardware productions back in the nineties; and he's been producing solo or hooking up with a host of dance music royalty ever since to produce an impressive body of work. Joy Frempong, is now Berlin-based, but was born in Ghana, moving to Switzerland at an early age where she eventually studied ethnology and jazz. Since then she's released a steady stream of well-received solo projects, as well as lending her vocal talents to all sorts of group projects.

Their new single stems from Ripperton being so taken by Frempong's music and live show in 2010, that he offered her label a remix, and in a quid-pro-quo deal she agreed to voice one of his productions. And fifteen years later here we are; it appears that good things come to those that wait.

Deep hypnotic vibes are the order of the day. Frempong gets the ball rolling with a looped, low-gravity hummed backing vocal refrain with Ripperton, like a gentleman, slowly fading in his music to allow us time to soak up the soul vibes, as our first lady's voice becomes whole, and lyrical shapes take form. Introduction made, Ripperton finally slides his fader to the top to reveal Arthur Hnatek's unhurried rhythmic pulse - consisting of a steady four-four pulse and brushed hats, as well as Sacha Unger's succinct, also rhythmic yet evocative guitar motif - the perfect live but looped additions to his ambient atmospherics, pleasant low-key distortion and eventually (nothing happens quickly in this sprawling track) his simple - almost childlike, but hypnotic keyboard refrain. He then weaves the various elements into a deep, mantric slice of futuristic ancestral soul that defies easy genre classification, but which should appeal to future soul girls, electronic neds and late-night downtempo heads in equal measure.

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Playlist Companion

Find them in the Slow Soul Playlist.