The name Christophe Salin may not ring a bell. For the last few years, Christophe has slipped largely under the radar. But that is about to change. After launching Salin Records with his wife Daria Salin, the German producer has been hard at work curating a series of releases establishing the ‘Salin sound’ and paving the way for future Salin Records artists. The forthcoming ‘Will You Be There EP’ is the final instalment of the three-EP series that pays homage to the emotional side of house music.
Sitting on the A1, our premiere ‘To Love’, offers a fitting nod to the city of love itself, offering a charming foray into the French touch soundscape. The track’s percussive, jazz infused opening has a warming innocence to it: reminiscent of an old-fashioned Romantic film or a busker bringing life to a park on a winter evening. Salin’s production is a skilful exercise in the art of simplicity. In the first breakdown, a melancholy saxophone washes over a soft piano, before being joined by some heartening drums and a hazy vocal. The same four elements are used throughout the track, but with a certain thoughtfulness and delicacy that ensures they never overstay their welcome. It seems as though each element of the track is in conversation with the others, working together to evoke memories and emotions that remind us what it is ‘to love’.
[soundcloud url=https://soundcloud.com/boltingbits/christophe-salin-to-love/]The emotive, jazz-infused atmosphere is sustained across the whole EP. It’s rare to find a 6-tracker that is best digested in one sitting, but listening to the ‘Will You Be There EP’ from start to finish is a rewarding, cathartic journey. This is an EP that is more fitting for the AUX on a solo late night drive than the club. It may not have been intended as so, but this is driveway music at its best: tunes that you continue to listen to well after parking your car, extending those few precious moments of solitude. Released on September 7, you can pre-order your digital or vinyl copy from Bandcamp.
Lily D.
