Nic Bell (image used courtesy of Dave Kerrigan)
Chester-via-London producer Nic Bell is making some neat little waves on the dance scene in 2016, Getintothis’ Ste Knight has the scoop.
Chester resident Nic Bell has been dropping some dope productions on his Soundcloud page. He’s been producing since 1998, but his efforts of late have not gone unnoticed. His first release of 2016, on Leeds based Sweep the Floor Records‘ Miami Volume 1 compilation, was a collab with fellow label-mate Sub8.
Nic‘s solo productions, however, are coming on strong, a bit like double-dropping your mood-enhancers on a night out. His tracks emanate a distinct Chicago house vibe, whilst managing to remain fresh and original – no mean feat in today’s saturated dance market.
NightSHIFT was the first track we heard by Nic in terms of his solo gear. There’s a cracking monologue running throughout the first half of the track, which sounds as though some Chicago maestro like Frankie Knuckles or Marshall Jefferson is giving you a lesson in how to house. The track has certainly got both of its feet planted firmly in the Windy City. The second half is instrumental, with some awesome synth patterns which mirror the Chicago sound perfectly.
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Nic’s latest track, Williamson Shake, is inspired by a trip to our very own Williamson Tunnels to catch acid breaks pioneer Josh Wink working his magic. The track is altogether a more chunky affair than the aforementioned NightSHIFT, with a driving bassline and some lovely syncopated keys dropping into the mix about a third of the way in. The chopped-up vocal snippets give the track a playful feel, and overall the track is reminiscent of some of Carl Craig‘s productions, so we can see the influence there. Cracking stuff.
Check out Nic‘s track Williamson Shake below. Who knows, we may see him playing the Tunnels himself pretty soon!
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