John Graham has been easing in and out of the shadows for the last fifteen years, employing a myriad of alter-egos as cover and unleashing one gut-busting project after another on the global dance music scene.
Whether he was Tilt, Skanna, Stoneproof, or Space Manoeuvres, this mofo was it.
Assuming another doppelganger of sorts, Graham is dropping the debut album for Quivver on an unsuspecting public. Long associated with progressive house, Graham takes the listener down various roads with Dirty Nails and Vapour Trails and isn’t afraid of taking the scenic route.
The beats, synth pulses, noise, and bass are top-notch on each of the 10 blazing-hot tracks found here. It’s clear that Quivver is paying careful, oft-obsessive attention to what he’s doing.
Take “Surin” for a start. This track pulses in perfect 4/4 prog-house time, sure, but it’s the nomadic bursts of sound and the in-and-out cascades of synth that really pull this one away from a normal dance track.
Vocals, drums, bass, and a stunning winding piece of music meet one another for a euphoric experience on the dazzling “Chasin’ a Feeling,” one of the album’s better tracks. Again, it’s Quivver’s jovial consideration for getting things just right that makes this one steam.
In case you’re curious, those dope vocals are from Graham himself. No shortcuts here. No lazy shit anywhere. With Dirty Nails and Vapour Trails, Quivver’s into everything with his heart and soul.
The beauty of this record is that it isn’t simply just an assemblage of blasting caps and “club bangers” for the Euro-crowd of strobe-worshippers. It is, in all reality, a very compelling piece of music that fits carefully into several genres in the often-divisive world of electro-pop.
“I've always listened to and have been influenced by a lot of different stuff and I think it's sad that the scene is so divided these days. It's like there's a new genre every other week and people jump on that bandwagon until the next one comes along and forget where they came from. I also wanted the album to be something people could really listen to and that would still be relevant in a few years so I didn't want to do a bunch of 4 to the floor bangin' club tracks – that's what mix comps are for,” Graham says.
Dirty Nails and Vapour Trails achieves Graham’s vision for a pertinent, snappy record. It is insistent, courageous, intrepid, stunning, elegant, and even primitive at times. A true musical journey, this is a bloody good one.
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