With two official Balance compilations under his belt (Balance 018 and Nick Warren presents The Soundgarden), Nick Warren’s relationship with Balance stretches back well over a decade.
Curiously, though, that history has never extended to a solo release on Balance Music. Run For Cover finally changes that, pairing two tracks that capture a producer deeply attuned to the hypnotic possibilities of progressive house.
The title track ‘Run For Cover’ taps into the wide-eyed escapism of the mid-’90s without slipping into nostalgia. Psychedelic details flicker across the drums like LED trails in a dark room, while a restless walking bassline gives the whole thing a wonderfully physical pull.
Elements drift in and out of focus, resisting an obvious genre tag while maintaining an easy, heads-down momentum. It’s progressive music in the literal sense: constantly moving, never particularly interested in announcing where it’s going next.
On “Stupa”, the mood opens outward. There’s an unmistakable Balearic quality to its sun-warmed percussion and serrated bassline, a groove that immediately suggests open-air dancefloors and late-afternoon light.
A woozy synth gradually sends proceedings into more narcotic territory, while soft vocal fragments, keyboard flourishes and flashes of guitar keep one foot planted somewhere recognisably human.
Nothing is hurried or overplayed. Instead, Warren lets each element breathe, resulting in the kind of patient, transportive dance music that comes from knowing exactly how little you need to do.
Nick Warren – Run For Cover
1. Run For Cover
2. Stupa
