Lapalux launches new album 'Nostalchic' in London

If the anticipation for the sole Brit on Brainfeeder Lapalux’s upcoming Nostalchic LP weren’t already apparent enough, then the practically opaque smokescreen engulfing Dalston’s new subterranean Dance Tunnel last night was a healthy reminder.

The new venue from the owners of Dalston Superstore is as trendy as you’d expect, complete with a blink-and-you’d-miss-it-barely-marked entrance off Kingsland High Street. Though the intimate surroundings downstairs felt more like a garage than tunnel, it’s undoubtedly a privileged atmosphere to sample the new output from rural Essex bred Stuart Howard.

The album cuts felt immediately seductive (what album with a lead off single called ‘Guuurl’ wouldn’t be?) – but more in a hedonistically overwhelmed sense, than one grittily realisable. It’s a lavishly rich sonic tapestry, where attraction is sought in subtle deviations from the maximalist canvas, rather than fine scribbles on a blank page. Although the nostalgia does come through in the fuzzy warmth of its woozy production, Howard’s lopsided take on RnB and hip-hop feels heavier on the latter part of his tongue in chic title. Densely textured, constantly engaging, and obscurely eclectic, the clear labour in this endeavour of love marks itself as deserving of a deeper plunge than last night’s tentative toe in the water.