There’s a certain type of sound we instantly get hooked on here at Soul-Identity and it appears that Henry Wu might just have found it. A little musical Tic-Tac-Toe through assorted sources led us to stumble upon this talented South London beatsmith a while back after he delivered one side of a split twelve for the boutique 22a label, and on venturing to his Soundcloud account this week, we came across another pair of choice recordings that instantly grabbed our attention. Released last week and available now to purchase digitally through the XVI Records Bandcamp, the Natural Complexion EP is a siren call to those of us still yearning for a steady stream of quality soulful underground beats and we’re hoping it’s a statement of intent by the young producer after a promising year of releases.
A talented keyboard player who has appeared on stage with the likes of Floating Points and Fatima of Eglo Records, Wu delivers a strong two-tracker that firmly stakes its claim as one of our EPs of the month for February. The title track alone is sure to cause a few worries in the dance, with its elastic melodies, skippy drums and ethereal vocal from Tenderlonious, proving there is still a thing as proper UK produced deep house. ‘Dutty Double’, the second offering, pairs a distinctively bombastic drum pattern alongside soulful keys and synth for a delicate jazz-infused workout that more than holds its own. Stream both tracks below and if you’d like more Wu in your life, check out this mixtape that he completed for the Stamp The Wax website this week.