Bwana - Sleeping In
by Bwana
album Over & Done EP
Bwana Sleeping In
The 21 year old Toronto producer that goes by Bwana has already sold out his debut Over & Done 12” in less than a month. Bwana’s EP went out on top, taking the #1 slot on Boomkat’s best sellers list in the DUBSTEP/GRIME/FUNKY category, and well it’s not to hard to understand why.
GITNB does a lot of genre hopping, so I don’t know if I’m actually late to the game on this kid, or he just blew up that quick. Either way, his album dropped last month, and it’s been an ice cream dinner special treat to listen to ever since.
Resident Advisor described Bwana’s sound as “Lovestep” and that description couldn’t be more fitting. Bwana disassembles that lovely dovey Boyz II Men RnB shit with lots of breaks, this billowy full bass sound that runs deep without sounding like you are at some stupid Spirithood Skrillex party, and these heavy cock a glock sounds that give his tracks some edge. Plus I like his use of samples. Sampled sounds and words subtly emerge throughout different aspects of jamz like “When There Is Nothing Left,” adding another dimension to his sound, instead being overbearing, causing the beat to get lost in the sample, which I hate to say it, but happens a lot in the dubstep/UK garage/bass genre.
Of course it’s no surprise “Sleeping In” is my clear favorite on this 12”. It’s Bwana’s sexiest jam without trying too hard. I feel like this is what Balam Acab would sound like if someone asked him to DJ a party and the only rule was “Please don’t make everyone fall asleep.”
After giving this album some time, the overarching theme of Bwana’s sound that has me so enthralled is his production and mixing skills. The kid really has a knack for taking several fragile elements and layering them together to make a bigger sound while still maintaining those delicate nuances and utilizing them to build a final product. Great work.
My only complaint? Leave the remixes behind and give me three more Bwana songs next time. Please and thank you.
Bwana’s Over & Done is sold the fuck out, but there are copies still available at places like Rough Trade, and Juno.
Bwana | Soundcloud | Facebook | Infinite Machine
