Oath’s latest is a very cool collaboration between 2 veteran sons of Sheffield’s innovative musical scene. While polishing his production chops working with Hull’s Pork Recordings – most famously as one half of Fila Brazillia – Steve Cobby was inspired by the records he danced to at the Steel City’s influential venue, Jive Turkey, and served an apprenticeship at FON Studios, the birth place of pioneering electronica label, Warp. Cobby also continues to make music with Stephen Malinder, of Sheffield’s ground-breaking post-punk provocateurs Cabaret Voltaire. Robin Taylor-Firth also made contact with Warp way back in the early 1990s. Producing 12s, alongside former Jive Turkey DJ turned “Crooked Man”, Richard “Parrot” Barratt, for the imprint’s offshoot Nucleus. From there Taylor-Firth hooked up with local legends Nightmares On Wax, contributing to the sound of their globally lauded “Smokers Delight”. Something that subsequently launched a successful career writing, engineering and arranging for a whole host of dance-flavoured pop acts, such as the chart-topping Olive. 

Taylor-Firth and Cobby have appeared side by side in the credits of countless chillout compilations, but this is the first time, I think, that the pair have produced anything together. The EP, named “Seven Dogs”, contains 4 unscripted forays that mix Taylor-Firth’s keys with Cobby’s beats and programmed pieces. The former’s understated improvised notes dancing delicately above the latter’s tumbling bionic boom bap. Cobby’s bass always bearing a bad ass thump. Buzzing, and distorted in places, while glimpses, glitches of IDM electronics flirt with the piano’s song. “Titled” has Taylor-Firth surf sampled, cymbal syncopation, while Cobby introduces a repetitive, whistling riff. “Visting Hobo” is a slower number, but the drums no less heavy. Cobby adding some loose cowbell clonk.

The resulting gentle jazz joints, hit like a lush, live tribute to all those classic hip hop sides built around Ahmad Jamal loops. Demonstrating an incredible level of communication between the players, the traditional instruments and machines. The duo are clearly totally in sync, deep in creative conversation. Responding to, “vibing” off, one another. I get a real feeling that this was a whole lot of fun for the friends to make. 

Rteph88 & Steve Cobby’s “Seven Dogs” can be ordered directly from Oath.