For the second release on JoyLift, EM + STAV expand the scope of their UK techno explorations via a brooding collaboration with essential Bristol-based maverick Grove. Committing anti-anthemtic vocal crossovers to tape while diving deeper into the steely construction of their leftfield club sound, 2 Palms continues the mission the pair set out on back in late 2023 with Endless, the first transmission on their label.
Cast in shades of misty melancholy, 2 Palms is an expressive, open-ended swoop of emotive electronica. Grove responds to the mood in kind, pressing pause on their celebrated, acerbic MC flow to exercise the breadth of their lesser-spotted, no-less-arresting singing. Framed by pockmarks of digital percussion, Grove strikes a bittersweet note that glides between sorrowful introspection and steadfast spirituality. It’s a powerful expansion on the sound world EM + STAV are shaping out with each successive release, as well as an exciting new direction for Grove.
Shooting a barbed slice of breakbeat energy through the pensive core of the original, Bristol techno heavyweight Hodge steps up with a club-focused version of 2 Palms. His signature line in angular, incisive drums respectfully casts a razor-sharp framework around the beating heart of the track. That sets the tone for EM + STAV’s two other productions on this EP, ‘Signal Glint’ and ‘Dub Wire’. Dealing in crooked rhythms, metallic textures and a heads-down swagger true to the UK soundsystem tradition, both tracks perfectly exercise the duo’s lifelong commitment to the dance while upholding their instinct for restless modernism.
2 Palms comes clothed in a design from Guillaume de Ubéda, a Bristol-based illustrator and graphic designer whose vivid, richly detailed style explores the divide between organic and digital. That concept extends to the EP’s physical format, as the starkly contemporary sound gets presented as a collectable tape pack alongside the digital release. With accompanying videos for the original and remix of 2 Palms, EM + STAV have pulled together a multimedia project that shows off the full spectrum of their vision for JoyLift, an ever-evolving platform leaving a singular impression in the modern leftfield club scene.
