Harvey McKay & Saytek // Push EP [Soma]
Soma’s star pupil Harvey McKay has been getting more and more prolific with every passing year since his emergence from the Glasgow underground 5 years ago, and has developed a familiar and formidable sound to his productions in the process – here he teams up with London based producer Saytek on two new original tracks.
Push is first up, and starts with easily identifiable McKay traits in a shuddering kick drum alongside deep dark bass – some male vocal snatches punctuate things, as some nice chords appear to drive things forward. The first 90 seconds are very nice indeed, though the then arrival of some handclaps adds a stuttering momentum to proceedings which doesn’t work for me, and I wasn’t impressed by key changes from the chords either – indeed, by the time we got down to just the chords and the kick drum at the break, it was really something of a relief. It’s pretty thin soup overall, and certainly nowhere near the standard of McKay’s best work.
Next up is Nothing, which immediately has more of a shuffle to it than the title track, though the rolling momentum of the low end is very similar – the notes in the bassline are more identifiable here though, and as such it has more of a groove to it. This track also uses a snippet of a male vocal and the groove here is added to with some very prominent congas, and there is a genuine build and release of tension in the breakdown. This is very similar to the first track in many ways and whilst it is still a pretty tough production, it is a bit more loose limbed and does have more of a warmth to it – overall, that’s what wins the day here, making it a more rewarding listen for me.
In conclusion then, despite an early set back, an impressive late equaliser saves the day for Harvey and Saytek.
Release Date: Out Now
Words: Stevie Reid
