Forlorn vocal samples meet a bludgeoning bass line in Gone, the first new track from the English producer Romare since 2016.
Gone opens with a leisurely ramp-up: A chunky beat, closer to 100 beats per minute then the brisk 120 commonly associated with house music; a repeating synth melody built from long, sustained lines; ringing, resonant, high-drama chords on the piano.
Then the vocals begin to multiply. First comes a snippet of you love nobody, pitch-shifted in the chipmunk-soul style; then an echoing chorus. A new variation on this theme nobody but you ushers in a mood-shift, and the bass morphs into something nasty and serrated. For the next two minutes, Romares single chugs fiercely, as the bass repeatedly steamrolls stray vocal samples.
The producer never allows the listener to hear an entire vocal line, but one word keeps popping up gone. As the track reaches its final crescendo, around the seven-minute mark, it becomes even more anguished, with unbridled screams buried deep in the mix.
The Gone 12-inch was released on Ninja Tune at the end of September.