Somewhere between one of those burbling, melancholic compilations Warp used to excel at and a giddy avant trance album in the vein of The Field or Gui Boratto, the debut from Peckham home-brewer “Derwin” – he doesn’t do second names – is both a surprise and a joy. Recorded in the south English countryside whilst Derwin dog-sat for his aunt and uncle, Lucky Shiner is, in places, almost joyously rustic, with extended passages of chill-out electronica that seem determined to lull you into a pleasant out of body fugue.
The LP has its thorny side too: opener ‘(You)’ features quick-fire beats and indecipherable samples, the tempo slowly increasing with effects that feel mildly, and not necessarily pleasantly, hallucinogenic. In the handful of interviews he’s given, Derwin has revealed that, early in his career, he juggled his gig as a DJ/ remixer with a retail position in a sex shop. The catalyst for quitting the job and getting serious about music was apparently the death of a friend. Shot through with moments of deep-forest beauty, Lucky Shiner is as moving a memorial as anyone could want.
Key Track: ‘(You)‘