Traces Of Spring – Fuse 09

Fuse resident and UK-based Downside steps up for the ninth release on the label’s Imprint arm with a four-tracker that shows equal parts poise and pressure. ‘Until It Fades’ opens in hypnotic mode, its patient layering and wide ambient space teasing drama without tipping over. ‘Blackout Protocol’ follows with a muscular low-end that tightens the focus, a dark, driving cut primed for heads-down moments. Flip to ‘Revolt’ and the mood changes – urgent percussion and taut bass weight carry the track forward with surprising uplift, a raw immediacy that sticks. The closer, ‘Traces Of Spring’, suspends itself between fragility and force, pairing soft synth tension with a monumental pulse. It’s a considered yet physical contribution, capturing Downside’s evolution from resident to producer with a command that feels entirely his own.