[unreleased]

In announcing the arrival of his two latest tracks, Mr. Somewhere (aka James Kartsaklis, a good friend of mine) disclosed his aural motivation: “Inspired by an ancient space heater my grandfather gave me, ’cause my heat’s out. My advice: pay your bills.” As the first traces of “Hi-Glo” sweep into your headphones, don’t be surprised if you catch the same chill. Kartsaklis captures the wind whistling under his door and the agitated air hissing from the space heater, marking time with mechanical, metal beats that refract off exposed brick walls. And yet, when the kick asserts itself in the mix and the clangs vary in timbre, the tune sheds concrete influence and stands alone as a percussion-happy dub techno track ripe for mixing.

“Lo-Glo,” by contrast, is a more somber affair, filling space with gaseous melodies. The rhythms reveal greater complexities and syncopations, both in the struck percussion and spry kick drum, while the bittersweet tones shift lazily. You can feel a lazy winter morning drift by, too cold to shed the covers or let one’s feet touch the floorboards. As you might guess from the fact that I started off yesterday’s mix with “Lo-Glo,” I’m quite taken with its understated dub construction. Fans of this year’s exceptional Echospace album should definitely have a listen. But make sure to have your comforter handy.