Lifelike collects the previously unreleased work of South London duo, The Soft, aka Zander Fletcher and Henry Morris. The 8 tracks, recorded between 2015 and 2020, remind me a lot of the marvellous musical missives that folks at Canadian imprint, Mood Hut, used to make. A unique mix of deep house and ambient, that’s as much Moodyman or Theo Parrish, as The Orb. Warped, wonky keys are set to constantly hissing high-hats, and slamming 4 / 4s. Tribal rituals are tapped out beneath distorted bells, harps, and lutes. Ethereal vocal snippets woven in and out of old school drum machines. The opening Haru – “Spring” in Japanese – for example, features fluttering frequencies, buzzing insect-esque circuitry, and shortwave static sequences, Alex Paterson-like summoning the titular season, while its b-line was built to jack. It’s great, grainy, uplifting gear, with a vibe that’s live, analogue, improvised.

Empath is all rumbling low end and syncopated cymbal. Mixing desk thunder and lightning claps cracking its calm like an atmospheric Joe Claussell creation. It’s a woodwind washed wonder that could have come from Joaquin’s Instant House. Perfect for “enlightened” party-goers who may have micro, or macro, dosed. Waving To Echo Mensa rocks to Miami bass 808 boom, while its synths sound like the voice of an ancient reed. A rousing meeting of electro, bleep, and Kraftwerk’s House Phone. On Forestry, birdsong blends with a muffled, muted rhythm, and stately hymn, prayer-like chords. The pair then drop the tempo a tad for the peacefully ping-ponging patterns of the last track, Long Way Down. Throughout the subs are super serious, and there’s a dubwise attention to detail. The sonics sophisticated, but kept simple, stripped back. Avant and arty, and very cool in your headphones, but this is still music, most definitely, designed for the dancefloor. 

The Soft’s Lifelike is out now on Going Good.