Psssh 002

Dauwd has spent the best part of a decade as one of the most quietly distinctive producers on the Ghostly International roster, folding dubby textures and off-kilter melodicism into house and techno that never quite behaves as expected. Psssh 002 marks a new chapter: the launch release on his own Psssh Records imprint, a three-track EP of chuggy, balearic-leaning grooves that pairs two originals with a remix from JD Twitch, one half of the legendary Glasgow duo Optimo.

Opening track La Nota sets the tone with a warm, dub-drenched chord sequence that lolls over a four-to-the-floor kick, its percussion lazy and off-beat where the listener’s feet expect it to be square. The bassline chugs rather than thumps, and the track sways through its four minutes and fifty-one seconds with the unhurried confidence of a record content to let the groove do the talking. Steve follows a similar path but pushes the psychedelia further, its chords smeared with echo and its drums loosened until the whole thing feels like it’s dissolving pleasantly at the edges.

JD Twitch’s remix of La Nota closes the EP, stretching the original out to five minutes and forty-two seconds and emphasising everything that makes it work. The drums are given room to breathe, the delays are turned up and the balearic twilight that the original only hinted at is brought fully into focus—a late-night version that feels destined for a sun-baked terrace at dawn rather than a dark warehouse.

There’s something quietly brave about launching your own label with material this unhurried, but Psssh 002 earns its confidence. Dauwd doesn’t need to prove anything to anyone at this stage of his career, and this EP finds him relaxed, playful and in full command of his signature haze. A strong first statement from Psssh Records, and a welcome reminder of why Dauwd remains one of the most intriguing producers in his field.