Mixmag staff writer Jasmine Kent-Smith on Aisha Devi's Slf EP.
At the time of writing, the thermometer is edging upwards and I’m in the mood for music as mind-melting as the heat. That, and an ice cream.
This month, I found exactly what I was looking for in terms of music in the form of Swiss-born producer Aïsha Devi’s latest Houndstooth offering SLF It was a real *chef’s kiss* moment when I pressed play on the neat five-track EP and heard the pummelling of drums for the first time. In an avant-pop meets club meets meditative manner, the first track sets the tone for the rest of the release as Devi dips and dives between trap, trance and computer rave.
The release follows her 2018 album DNA Feelings and feels like a concentrated take on the themes and sound design explored on the LP. On SLF, Devi appears in her element as she presents a project that is as enraptured with melodies, arpeggios and spirit-soaring vocals, as it is with foreboding drums and moments of disconcerting eeriness. Take Uupar Theory, which ends with Devi’s manipulated voice calling out: “Empower your mind/You can walk through walls”. Which given the summer we’ve all had so far, and the UK’s collective heatstroke, could well be true.
