Sciama - Between Veils [pre order] 12"
With a steely sound matching fathoms-deep echo chambers with metallic textures and precision drums, Sciama arrives on Samurai Music to press into the inspiring hinterland between techno and drum & bass.
Sciama is the production alias for Michael Watters, a producer who since 2019 has carved out a formidable reputation across a stellar run of releases on ASC's Auxiliary label. While his music references UK bass, transcendental techno and industrial, the end result is a taut, focused journey through fractured, weighty rhythms and vast, ranging atmospherics tilted towards the darkness.
Between Veils is testament to Watters' refined production, steeped in intensely detailed and layered sound design in constant fluid motion, whether locked to the grid or shifting across the surface of the track like grayscale snow drifts. Noise becomes a subtle tool in his hands, capable of delicacy as much as abrasion, and discord evokes a haunting beauty if you listen past the clangorous overtones he elicits from his pads.
For all the writhing, artful sonics, there is still ample weight in the Sciama sound to hold court over a soundsystem. 'Figures In Mist' rests on a constant half time cycle underpinned by monolithic bass pulses and 'Ghost Trail' finds deadly energy in the faintest flicker of double-time hats above the slow march of a 4/4 kick clocking around 85BPM. Restraint is paramount, even in the fuller rhythm section that drives 'Anima Trace', creating tension through what isn't sequenced as much as what is. 'Veil Of Mirrors' has an especially punchy kick propelling the cavernous echos and ripples that shape out yet another vivid soundscape, but at all times Watters keeps a tight grip on his arrangement to keep the energy simmering just below boiling point.
Moving well beyond the boundaries of any specific genre, Between Veils winds up as a strong, independent statement on the meeting point between broad influences and clear intentions — a formidable addition to Samurai Music's explorations beyond drum & bass and Sciama's steadily evolving, singular style.
- Collector's Special Edition or Marbled 12" with Kanji sleeve and artwork sticker
- One Free WAV with purchase. The rest of the WAVs on or before the digital release date (08.08.2025) via an emailed download link. Bandcamp code available on request
THIS IS A PRE-ORDER ITEM and if purchased will be despatched for delivery on or before Friday 01st August. Please note! Other items in your basket will also be held until this date.