ddwy are South London-based Ronan MT and Naomi Pieris, artists who DJ under the aliases of Inner Totality and nangi. The duo’s debut release comes care of Munich’s mighty, Public Possession. A 7-track, mini-LP, titled Sprig Songs, it leapt out of my stereo, since it sounded like little else that I’ve been sent recently. One of the things that really impressed me, that made the record standout, is that they’re clearly making music that they want to make, regardless of what’s currently fashionable, popular, in vogue. These aural explorations ranging from the simmering fourth world fog of Naini’s Call – a funky, live-bass-led, kosmische CAN-like groove – to the “baggy” beat-ed psychedelic pop of Green Villa, and Hair Spiders’ perky, percussive house. The latter’s bouncy joie de vivre recalls William Orbit’s work with Malcolm McLaren – say, Lisa Marie’s Something’s Jumping In Your Shirt – and, to be honest, once I’d made that connection, Mr. Orbit was a difficult reference to shake. There are a couple of more experimental pieces – the rattling, clattering, dubbed out Shriekmoon, and the ambient Do Deers Dream?, which mixes floating, fluttering keys with whale song-like cosmic blues guitar, and sounds like Manuel Gottsching and Steve Hillage jamming. However, William’s there again in the choppy rhythms and mid-tempo ethereal electro of Akki Always, and especially in my favourite, Orchard. Here the hardware has hallucinogenic hang-drum harmonics dance to some playful thumping and pumping. Reminiscent of Orbit’s work with Rico Conning and Laurie Mayer, as Torch Song, and also his brilliant, Beth Orton-starring masterpiece, Water From A Vine Leaf, when Naomi, breathless, whispers, “Find me in the orchard”, I imagine Eve seducing Adam. 

ddwy’s Sprig Songs is out now on Public Possession.