Lorenzo_BITW – Love Junction

If you’ve been out to a certain type of club in Europe over the past few years (genre-ambivalent, rhythmically adventurous), you’ll almost certainly have come across Rome-based producer Lorenzo BITW’s neck snapping syncopations and joyously constructed hooks. Releases for touted club brands Enchufada and Nervous Horizon have brought Lorenzo’s tracks to dancefloors and radio waves alike and he’s proven comfortable across tempo and mood. That versatility shines on his debut Love Junction LP, due out on June 22nd via Friends of Friends

Having previously debuted in the FoF Singles Series with the Mina-assisted “Tombura”, Lorenzo’s deft drum concoctions will be familiar to fans of the label, but the breadth of Love Junction shows a newfound confidence, embodied in the warm embrace of “Hello” and the technical, start-stop strut of “Goo”. Those two tracks, featuring NawtiBoy Tattoo and Kwam respectively on vocals, clearly set out Lorenzo’s approach -- equal parts earnest and assertive -- and provide two potential pop moments, the former for faded LA summer drives and the latter dank London basements.

Throughout Love Junction, tempo shifts and earworm hooks keep the listener quite literally on their toes but its the emotional acuity imbued throughout that ties the album together from start to finish. That’s Lorenzo’s gift and whether it’s the percussive workouts, patois slang or slow slung bass lines that initially draw you in, Lorenzo’s effortless charm will have you throwing this one on at every opportunity.