Submatik’s drum and bass gives melody and vocals plenty of room. Their early catalogue belongs to the wave of online D&B that brought bright synths, liquid rhythms, and memorable songs to listeners well beyond the club.
Tempted, released in 2013 with Charli Brix, is a useful place to begin. Brix has described it as her first drum and bass release, and the track’s jazzy, rolling arrangement gives her voice a natural home. It captures the combination of vocal warmth and movement that runs through Submatik’s melodic material.
The same period brought Run Away with Astrid Destuyver, Firefly, and Funk Thing. On their own SoundCloud, Submatik shared Shine as part of the Summer Stories EP on Radar Records, placing another of those early records alongside the vocal singles.
The early releases make a welcoming introduction to Submatik’s melodic sound. Shine and Firefly sit naturally alongside the vocal songs, while Tempted is especially worth returning to: its rolling rhythm and Brix’s voice capture the warmth of this corner of drum and bass.
