CULTURE SHOCK: CITY LIGHTS

British born drum and bass producer Culture Shock (or James Pountney as he’s known to his mum) is all about quality not quantity when it comes to releases. With a couple of EPs and a handful of singles under his belt spanning from 2004 to now, it would be easy for Pountney to fade into the background amongst the rapidly evolving and constantly changing landscape of drum and bass.

However, the man responsible for dance-floor bangers such as “Troglodyte” and “Bad Red” is back with a vengeance with the highly anticipated release of “City Lights”. Up until recently, the track had remained an exclusive white label with only a few copies in circulation amongst the most elite echelons of the drum and bass community. “City Lights” has played an integral part in RAM Records head honcho Andy C’s appearances since its first incantation as an instrumental only tune in 2009, and has remained a solid inclusion in his legendary mix series and energetic live DJ sets.

With the long awaited worldwide release of “City Lights”, Pountney has enlisted the talents of Birmingham born vocalist Bryn Christopher, with the full updated version debuting on Annie Mac’s BBC Radio 1 show. Catapulting the track into airwave friendly cross-over territory previously conquered by the likes of artists such as Sigma and Wilkinson, Christopher’s soulfully soaring vocals are a brilliant compliment to the bright synths and bubbling bassline, all of which combine perfectly thanks to the well balanced mastering. The uplifting melody and magnetic energy of the track will be sure to draw a crowd onto the dance-floor in both the club and at UK / European summer festivals, where I can predict this being a sure-fire anthem this season. With the track being signed to RAM Records and being released in conjunction with Virgin EMI, the lights are looking very bright for Culture Shock in 2015.

Words by Ari Yeung // Buy City Lights on Beatport.