Michael J. Blood & Sockethead - Eating Late (2023)

Yeah the pace with this lot is relentless and the vibes are loose as fuck, this time finding Michael J Blood & Sockethead in duo mode, feeding screwed street soul and emotional jams into the blunted, early-hours.

This is actually their debut merger, following trio actions with Rat Heart on a couple of ace ‘True’ volumes in recent years. On ‘Eating Late’ MJB pulls Sockethead away from his wildest inclinations and into a deliriously stoned dimension, where gloopy synths and restless subs tumble in and out of time, ample levels of smudged, nostalgic romance included.

Plotted for slow-release thru the night, the album starts with bleary-eyed immersion therapy ‘aaa(a)’ on a sort a tip between classic Move D/Reagenz and some Frictional slow jam, before nimbly proceeding into R&G sampler ‘Try to Keep’ and the delicately jazzy deep house ‘Blown Out’.

The tart darkwave of ‘Breathe Properly’ and Sockethead’s peal on ‘Heat Of U’ are perhaps best enjoyed like Wambsgans eating a songbird, napkin over the noggin, while echoes of Gescom’s fractal Disengage flex on ‘Recto-Verso’ and ‘Swamptrix’ give up one of the most satisfying sessions in either artist’s run over the last few years.

Collect them all eh?