Maxwell Sweeney and his aural output descended on the Soulvent camp like a cool, fresh breath of Kiwi air. The once-Londoner swapped out the Brexit-based concrete jungle (pun intended) for the slightly quieter sights and sounds of port-town Timaru; not to mention the company of his lovely girlfriend, back in 2015. Having made an impression on us with his first few demos early last year, and then dropping Crystal Clear on our final Soul Sessions compilation last December, he’s found a special place in our ever-growing, liquid loving heart. So it brings us great pleasure to bring you his most substantial release in some time, the 4-track To The Light EP.

Beatnik opens with uncertain tonality and texture. A patois-tinged vocal sample ushers in his trademark energy: surging bass synth and rattling percussion.

Double Down matches it’s title, hoping to capitalise on it’s predecessors momentum – jungle snares lead us into an arpeggio driven, hypnotic groove. But the only way is up, as the respective synth and drum parts descend into more erratic and interesting patterns throughout the track.

Title track To The Light is more of a slow burner. One half of rising duo Princess Slayer’s intricate lyrics couple millennial turmoil with Max’s structured ideas.

Ending on a curve ball, Trash Talk effortlessly displays the 27 year old’s intricate understanding and affinity with all the genres that blend to make d&b the melting pot it is. An effortless hip-hop break sinks into jazz horns, seemingly random synth blips, and pulsating chords and drums.

If forward thinking, intelligently crafted beats at (mostly) 174 bpm is your bag – look no further than the To The Light EP.