Nightdubbing - Favouritism (2023)

Favouritism is the 3rd LP from the Manchester based production duo and sees them take a deeper dive into Dub, Disco, Militant Funk and Balearic beats while maintaining their emphasis on warm, stirring melodies and irresistible rhythms to deliver their most fully realised and consistent release to date.

Kicking off with ‘Disconnection’ - built around a trademark chopped-up vocal hook, this is their most upfront track yet, clocking in at a radio friendly ‘arms in the air’ 4m 36s. At the other extreme ‘Little Weekend’ is all insistent, no-wave guitars, crackling atmospheres with synthesised chords surging from the depths before the arrival of a monster sub-bassline that’ll rock your sound system to the core. ‘Oxford Roadshow’ is all gleaming synth washes underpinned by a mesmeric brit funk strut. ‘Glass House’ finds gorgeous harmonic vocal samples soaring above a delicious Balearic dreamscape. Favouritism closes with the intriguingly titled ‘Whatever it is…It’s Yours’ – a classic Weatherall indebted dub chug, overlaid with what sounds like Frippertronic guitars (but are probably not) and bursts of bluesy harmonica – the kind of album closer that’ll have you flipping it back to Side A to start the journey all over again.

Nightdubbing are Carl Emery and Tim Robinson who met in 1992 when the former was behind the counter of Our Price records in Manchester and Tim was in and out of numerous bands which Carl went on to manage. Firm friends and DJ partners ever since, the combination of Carl’s decades of crate-digging, Tim’s production skills and their combined DJ chops and musical wisdom eventually came together as Nightdubbing in 2017. ‘Favouritism’ is the follow up to the warmly received ‘Frontline’ (2017), and Cassette Store Day release ‘House to House’ (2019) which quickly sold out in their respective physical formats.