Pangaea, Leonce - Dusted / Stuck
The pedigree of the Fabrics Originals series has had a pretty good track record thus far. The idea was to bring the vibe of London's most iconic club to the airwaves, allowing people from all over the country and the world to have a little slice of the party. Until now, they've managed a serviceable effort with iconic producers stepping up to the mark and delivering distilled versions of their sounds. This A&R experiment allows even the most esoteric to become more digestible to wider audiences, which sounds like a win-win. The problem with this business model is that it has the potential to strip away the guts of the track in favour of a mass appeal.
Everything made sense from a business perspective; the artists gained wider notoriety, and the club promoted the cutting-edge sound they've become synonymous with, that is, until the latest Pangaea and Leonce release highlighted a flaw in the system. Dusted / Stuck is complicated to dissect due to the artists' technical proficiency. The tracks sound incredible, with crisp percussion and beautiful weighting of instruments and effects. Still, something is gnawing at me, whispering that something sounds wrong. If I had to put my finger on it, I'd say Dusted / Stuck lack soul. They're starkly lacking in atmosphere, vibe, and tactfulness in song construction. The disparity in quality between the output we're used to from these heavy hitters and this release is evident from the outset.
Leonce is a student and purveyor of black excellence within electronic music. He effortlessly weaves together sounds from warehouse origins up to the queer and soulful subtextual style. On the other hand, Pangaea takes the gritty sound of the UK, be that techno, garage or dubstep, and melds them together into his acclaimed club sound. Dusted / Stuck lacks both artists' unique qualities, instead sounding like the safest club track your local DJ could play at a club night with the sub-labelled "UKG, Tech, Bass."
The tracks are noncommittal at best but lazy at worst, making this a far cry from what audiences expect from these two. The flabby loops on 'Duster' feel like sample packs with a shocking lack of grit or experimentation. Unfortunately, the vocals are way too cookie-cutter to allocate a response anywhere north of boredom. Meanwhile, 'Stuck' attempts to jump on the Baile Funk and Afrobeat crazy. The horns do add a level of depth but feel too hidden away behind the rest of the track. While 'Stuck' stands out as the richer of the two, the record still feels like an A&R hellscape as the team at Fabric Originals conforms to the crushed velvet ravers. It pains me to say all this, as I have the utmost respect for all parties involved, but it does seem a shame Fabric had to drag Pangaea and Leonce into this marketing move.
Tracklist:
Dusted
Stuck
Label: fabric Originals (2025)
Pangaea, Leonce - Dusted / Stuck
