Having recently completed studies in Contemporary Music at university in South Africa, Jason Beukes – or Escapism Refuge – as he is widely becoming known, is now set to release his debut album on influential London Label Deep Heads later this year.
Ahead of the release, Deep Heads now presents a two track sampler which aims to showcase some of the styles you can expect to hear across the eagerly anticipated album.
'Drifting' is the sampler's A-side, and the track's slow and mesmeric pace immediately catches your ear. Drifting's half-time hip-hop aesthetic brings to mind the work of trip-hop pioneers Massive Attack, whilst it's descending piano arpeggios draw likeness to the contemporary work of Radiohead and the XX.
The slo-mo drums on 'Drifting' are also enhanced throughout by the vocal talents of Zeb Samuels. His powerful lyrics give the track a third dimension, cementing this as one of Escapism Refuge's most unique and memorable productions to date.
B-Side 'Misfits' is another solid effort from Escapism Refuge. Whilst it incorporates some of the key production values we have come to expect from Escapism Refuge – powerful drums, a catchy chord progression and a meditative vibe – the way the track has been constructed belies its 140BPM tempo, giving it a down tempo and deeply grooving sense of pace.
Escapism Refuge has received some highly impressive support for his productions thus far – Gilles Peterson at BBC Radio 6 Music, Joe Kay at Soulection and Lefto of Brownswood Recordings, amongst others, have all been playing Escapism Refuge's tracks on air and in clubs across the globe.