Forthcoming on Visionist’s “I’m Fine” EP out on September 3rd, 2013
“South London producer Visionist is one of a new wave of young artists engaging with the ever-mutating sound of grime and taking it to new places. He’s been bobbing about since 2011, putting out highly-strung instrumentals on a handful of 12”s, and now comes his debut EP on Lit City, I’m Fine (out September 3), which features a collaboration with New York producer Fatima Al Qadiri.
Al Qadiri’s synth-line warning signs are both alluring and insidious, like the wink of a star that’s long since burned out, while Visionist twists handfuls of bass into a shadowy second melody. It’s as if the two producers are dancing around one another, sizing one another up; intrigued yet not without suspicion.”
– Pitchfork
“Two of the underground’s most exciting prospects from both sides of the Atlantic have joined forces. Brixton’s Visionist and New-Yorker-by-way-of-Kuwait teamed up for The Call, which features both artists trademarks in spades, Fatima’s ghostly church hall melodies and Visionist’s icy minimalism. Proper pairing”
– Abeano
“Late last year, we spoke to Fatima al Qadiri about her enduring love for grime, which she described as “icy cold” and “full of threats.” Both qualifiers feel well-suited to “The Call,” a track she co-recorded with London producer Visionist for the latter’s upcoming I’m Fine LP, and which suspends ethereal synth sounds and a game-ready bassline in a tension-filled, unresolved limbo. Fans of al Qadiri’s Desert Strike EP will recognize some of the same eerie choir sounds, but for the most part, “The Call” is remarkable for its sense of space—especially considering that there are two cooks in the kitchen.”
– The FADER
“Recently, we got word that the Teklife-affiliated Lit City Trax would release two records from burgeoning London producer Visionist. The anticipation we had for his first release, the I’m Fine EP, was palpable and now we have our first taste. “The Call” is a collaboration with fellow innovator Fatima Al Qadiri, and it’s a doozy. Instead of assaulting listeners with heavy kicks and snare hits, the two create a storm of bass lines and vocal-styled synth pads. “The Call” sounds like the quiet before a desert battle, with equal measures of dread and anticipation waiting behind each resonating note.”
– Ad Hoc
“Conceptual New York-based artist Fatima Al Qadiri features on the new EP from South London-based grime shapeshifter Visionist in the form of this icy new track The Call. Underscored by a warped bass line and punctuated by Al Qadiri’s familiar robotically angelic vocal samples and synth jabs, the overall effect is one of caution and paranoia, leaving us with chills but far from cold.”
– Dummy Mag
