szajna: stepping hill ep
Francisco Espregueira
Hailing from Manchester, Szajna has been getting attention outside of his hometown, gaining popularity amongst the London bruk movement. Since then he has had multiple releases on labels; CoOp Presents, Dance Regular, Phuture Shock Music & Eclectic Beats. Returning to Dance Regular, he presents us the Stepping Hill EP - being truthful to his style influenced by UK dance music styles; from drum and bass to 2-step and funky, but always bruk at his core.
We had the chance of premiering one Szajna’s tracks through Phuture Shock Musik M41 release. This time around we can feel that he is able to transmit even more, delivering a very complete project. From “Planets” which is a straight up bruk workout, passing by the 2-step-garagy vibes of “Pavement Groove” (featuring Yemi Bolatiwa, a talented vocalist and songwriter who is a leading light of the Manchester music scene) and “Tape Cut” a sweet roller, more breakbeat than broken-beat but still chopping it with that bruk essence.
Flipping to the B-Side, we find “D.R Juice” - a dark and moody moment for the real lovers of the genre - and “Feeling”, featuring Crystal Alice and enticing the listener with her soft sultry melodies that tell stories about love, loss, life and redemption. Stepping Hill EP ends with “Low” and its skippy drum patterns once again keeping up that nod to UKG with piano chords and a muted Miles Davis style trumpet from Manchester’s Rosco G. Available in vinyl, this is one of the bruk records of the year. Courtesy of Dance Regular.