Limelight from abyssal beats, murky basslines and dark, dark grooves: such is the dazzling attention Shadow Child’s uniquely moody sound has brought him. It’s a relatively new direction for UK producer Simon Neale, who made his early career running as electro-house dissident Dave Spoon before a sudden, impressively brave change of direction.
Spoon first succumbed to Shadow in 2012 with an eponymous debut EP on Claude VonStroke’s Dirtybird label (including haunting anthem 'String Thing'). Neale explained in an online interview late last year that he had grown disillusioned with the mainstream way in which electro-dance was suddenly evolving. “I wasn’t into what happened to electro house. Where it’s gone is to America, becoming the EDM thing” he commented. “Fantastic and very lucrative if you’re into it as a producer and DJ, but I just couldn’t get into it and didn’t want to play that music, so I had to change it up....I needed to remove some creative boundaries in the studio too, so the name change decision came from all of that. It’s a personal thing that just happened to come together so well in the bigger picture too. I feel lucky.”
As a kid Neale had grown up on the rugged, bumpin’ flow of hardcore, rave and drum & bass. These formative interests were, unsurprisingly, closely tied to the type of music he was now feeling – proto-dubstep by experimental producers such as Kode 9 and Punch Drunk. It wasn’t long before Neale was making his own bullish tweaks to their blueprints, drawing on teenage influences that also included UK mid-Nineties garage and 4-4 but, above all else, setting a distinctive sonic tone. “The character and identity you hear in any type of music is always the most important thing” he said at the time of his transition to Shadow Child, “and I think that’s what’s making this all tick at the moment, rather than simply pinning it on a scene or style of music.”
Shadow Child started to ‘play’ with increasingly joyful abandon. Follow-up releases with Tom Flynn (Phil Collins EP, on Deleted) and Horx (Bordertown, on Apollo) complimented a feisty solo EP, 23, on his own, newly-created Food Music imprint (set up alongside fellow Portsmouth native Kry Wolf) and swashbuckling remix project with Hot Since 82 (on Moda Black). Last year Shadow Child single 'Friday', featuring the sleek vocals of newcomer Takura and a confident fusion of deep-house bite and polished radio edge, further cemented his growing legend; not forgetting robust, floor-commanding remixes of Hot Natured, Hardrive (the forever classic 'Deep Inside') and Yousef (Defected bullet 'I See').
And not forgetting this year’s latest forays, confirming an artist at dizzying, new-found creative heights. Shadow Child’s ethereal remix of London Grammar staple 'Strong', in January, wrong-footed thousands with its transcendent demonstration of life beyond the dancefloor, whilst free download cut 'Steak Fingers' reminded them brilliantly of the producer’s meaty origins. Next month Shadow Child teams up with Eli & Fur on Defected to drop 'Seeing Is Believing', unfurling trademark bass-house pizzazz beneath the girls’ mesmeric vocals. It’ll prove another landmark moment. All the while, he continues to draw grandstand DJ bookings across the UK and Europe, and hold down a popular weekly radio slot on Rinse FM.
Neale is used to the attention. As Dave Spoon he enjoyed similarly lofty beginnings, his first EP 21st Century immediately snapped up by Toolroom in 2004 and second, Sunrsise, grabbed by Seamus Haji’s influential 'Big Love' (the piano-driven title track an out-and-out Ibiza monster). His 2006 lick 'At Night' was subsequently upgraded with Lisa Maffia vocals to become Top 40 rocket 'Bad Girl (At Night)' the following year, before he repeated the crossover trick in 2008 via Sam Obernik & Paul Harris collaboration 'Baditude'. Spoon also enjoyed buoyant residencies for Cream in Ibiza and Radio 1’s influential In New DJs We Trust, compilation tie-ups with Ministry of Sound, work alongside Pete Tong (2009 cut Gas Face) and remix commissions for everyone from the Pet Shop Boys to Dizzee Rascal.
Back to the future and Neale remains firmly grounded despite his already seismic success. Compilation Collected, a summary of Shadow Child’s ‘best bits’ to date which arrived last December , serves to remind just how remarkable the current phase of his musical life has proven. And there is the promise, too, not only of bold new Shadow Child material in the months ahead but Neale’s chic new Avec partnership with Rinse buddy Doorly (Avec released fun-shine disco single 'Disappearer', fronted by Scissor Sisters’ Jake Shears, on Southern Fried at the same time as Collected.) Nevertheless Neale isn’t about to get ahead of himself.
“I’m not sure I innovate” he calmly indicated last October. “I borrow from all the things that influence me from being a kid until now, like most musicians do I guess. I’d also not quite call myself a musician either but what I do seems to be striking a nerve at the moment so I take all of those positive feelings and comments and pump that back into my creations. Some aren’t musically genius, but they’re effective for sure and that’s what it’s about for me. Humbled to be doing what I do.”
Words: Ben Lovett
Eli & Fur with Shadow Child 'Seeing Is Believing' is out now - buy from Beatport / Traxsource / DStore
Shadow Child plays Defected In The House at Sundown 30 August - click for full listings and tickets
