[Nowar]

It would’ve been easy to write off Leonid Nevermind after his first few initial attempts at production resulted in easily forgotten minimal tech-house. Three years on and Leonid’s Light Is Here EP appears to be a major course correction pushing him in the right direction. The Spanish producer may have been just trying to get his foot in the door, but he would have been much better served having debuted with this 12″ for Nowar. This release shows a matured side to Leonid, going deeper with melodic structuring and surprisingly an eagerness to stretch himself by exploring multiple stylistic contours.

“The Unexplored Land Of Love” is proof of that as a slap bass merges smoothly with a series of funky keyboard lines which exude strong funk and boogie leanings. And with a sly filter usage and moody pads, it’s a winning formula that sounds light years from his early productions. “Thymus Stimulator” starts off with equal promise, deep techno with ample cosmic synth eddies and what sounds like an arcing cat’s meow before edging into passages of blues and jazz-inspired melody lines. It shows ambition but at times feels forced. On “Feel” he pairs it back and focuses on a hazy organ sample, dubby stabs and clipped bass line to propel his take on deep house, finishing it off with a distended vocal sample of the title. Not immediately gripping but over time it reveals its charms. The title track closes out this release with a laid back approach to house. An insistent dusty triangle coupled with an echoing harp and bluesy harmonica emanations, not that far off from Brendon Moeller’s Jazz Junk Safari material. But the old west atmosphere is belied by a punchy kick, crinkling percussion and a brief contorted bass sequence. Leonid may not have raised any eyebrows the first few times out, but the Light Is Here EP should help change that and show he’s not who we thought he was either.