ICEBOY VIOLET & NUEEN
YOU SAID YOU'D HOLD MY HAND THROUGH THE FIRE (HYPERDUB)
This collaboration between Spanish producer Nueen and Manc vocalist / rapper Iceboy Violet - who has previously sprinkled their magic dust across Hyperdub releases from aya and Loraine James - traces the arc of a four year relationship, memorialising its highs and documenting its lows, processing, reflecting, and then ending with the ecstatic spark of new love.
It's a magical, intimate and heartfelt album, sometimes anguished but often enchanting.
Nueen's music responds with foggy, but richly detailed, production. Smudgy drill-laced beats contrast with curdled, spiralling chords, at times drawing out a malevolent ambience.
`You Said You'd Hold My Hand Through The Fire' is an immensely affecting and lucid album, powerfully wrought, ultimately hopeful.