Marcel Everett, the 16-year-old wunderkind behind the moniker XXYYXX, has to date drawn frequent comparison to the downtempo electronic producers spawned from the recent rise of the UK bass scene. He’s shirked those comparisons in interviews, and with his latest release DOLOR, it seems he’s attempting to distance himself from those comparisons even further.
“Alexis” the A-side of this newest release relies on an airy acoustic guitar sample and stuttering drums to create a mood that more clearly apes the organic nature of recent Bibio efforts, than the grimy tech of those producers he’s so often grouped in with. Aside from a slight resemblance to the hazy work of Teen Daze, there’s really few other reference points for this new work. Everett’s work has always embraced the floaty bliss of quite a few airy electronic producers, but with “Alexis” he’s stepping further away from his spacey roots and into something much more unique. DOLOR, and “Alexis” in particular, may be but a bite-sized piece of what Everett has been working on as of late, but it’s a piece leaving us wanting so much more.
