Document One – LSD [Shogun Audio]

While only debuting their new single on June 6th in Europe ahead of U.S. timezones, UK duo Document One recently dropped their newest track titled “LSD” for worldwide audiences on Shogun Audio. With a combination of historical reference, vocal samples and unconventional bass, “LSD” is threatening the scene with a distinct, honest sound that exemplifies the emotions of the controversial hallucinogenic.

Without needing any sort of reference, “LSD” begins right off the bat with its core reference to the famous psychedelic drug. The music video litters itself with original footage of the MKULTRA experiment while making an effort to highlight chill vibes before the main percussion kicks in. Although Document One has unabashedly labeled this piece under the D&B label, “LSD” is an incredibly exciting union between calming minimalist production values and a truly addictive beat which could almost skirt the line of “sacrilegious” for hardcore drum + bass aficionados.

The 1950s-era stylized voice-over skirts over the aggressively friendly beat in harmony and donates a 1950s classic pastiche rarely found in the world of electronic music. Yes, mainstream fans may be familiar with the endless Nina Simone samples of summer 2010, but “LSD” chooses to use (what seems to be) a custom voice-over to highlight the true “oddball” aesthetic of the early psychologically based experiments. While explaining the intended “true nature” of the experiments, the vocal highlights the skewed view of the past with artistic depictions of the wild images users would possibly see while under the influence.

The true treat of the track stems from the wild percussion lines gracefully dancing their way across jazz-inspired sax riffs and rhythmic breakdowns. The song carries the foundations of the sub-genre, but have no issue deviating from the source material to an extreme point. Instead of molding itself only by name and not by production style, Matt & Joe carefully time the bass, synth and assorted percussion to make it a beat off from what you would expect out of the track.

As a single, “LSD” will have no issue capturing the hearts and minds of the more psychedelically minded, and could possibly find cross-over opportunities with its separation in sound.