a Lakosa & Rick Grant - Core aa Lakosa & Rick Grant - Tambourine After first meeting Stef Smith aka Lakosa at a Birmingham warehouse rave back in 2010, the 2nd Drop camp have been keeping an eye on this burgeoning talent, especially as he’s popped music out on Kerri Chandler’s Madtech imprint among others. Co-producer Rick Grant is 1/3 of Take Records and with releases on George Fitzgerald’s ManMakeMusic label, another key talent making moves this year. And despite having never met each other (they communicate via email and bass frequencies), it seems that when they collaborate the magic happens. For the A side we have Core, a murky, brooding slice of house infused with strong techno characteristics: tough kick drums, dub chords, scattered clattering snares, ghostly African voices and a deft mixture of off kilter synths and nuanced pad work. This is not your average 4x4 number, it’s a track that plants its seed into your ears and allows its subtleties grow into your brain like climbing ivy. We are very happy to welcome back Boya, last seen adorning South London Ordnance’s debut release on 2nd Drop. This very talented graphic designer, illustrator and photographer delivers a delicate, yet powerful graphic for this 12”, blending psychedelic influences with an amazingly delicate feather motif for a beautiful piece of artwork.