Mancunian producer Andy Stott has always skated around the periphery of techno. While earlier releases found him dabbling in the various offshoots of the genre his 2011 EP, We Stay Together, turned into something else entirely. The sound was dark and gloom, the beats slowed down as they fought their way through the foreboding atmosphere. He continued on this trajectory with the heavy Passed Me By, but his next release would push Stott in a new direction. 2012's Luxury Problems saw the producer work with his old piano teacher, Alison Skidmore. Her vocal contributions brought a refreshing sense of lightness to Stott's otherwise brutal productions. Faith In Strangers finds the two working together again; Skidmore's breathy, operatic vocals floating gracefully over Stott's sludgy soundtracks. There are tracks that are drenched in ambience, like "Violence" and "On Oath." Others move in to heavier, beat oriented territory, but the sound is still far left of center. There's plenty to dig into on Faith In Strangers, possibly just enough to keep you satiated until Stott's next release.

• black double vinyl pressing
• original release year: 2014
• music label: Modern Love 2024

reviewed by Michu Meszaros 12/2014