Review from Pulse Radio
"George Fitzgerald released a solo EP on Hotflush Recordings...AWESOME! Arguably the producer of 2011, Fitzgerald delivers yet again with the Shackled EP, demonstrating he is adept with a variety of sound palettes, but keeping within the house/techno/garage hybrid framework he has helped pioneer.
The title track blends the kinds of emotive chords, vocal hits and sub bass drops one readily finds in UK Garage, with trademark acid squeaks, raw drum sounds and rugged atmospherics of underground techno. Keeping the two groups of sonics separate in the first half of the track, the second half combines them beautifully, giving Shackled a sense of development and movement that progressive house producers would be envious of.
'Feel Like' is a delightful combination of lush, blissful synths and girly vocals, contrasted with booty/ghetto tech style drum programming and low end chunkiness. Unlike most of his other work, which is readily lapped up by house/techno dancefloors, this is probably too challenging and cut-up for those outside of the bass music scene. It will however cause serious damage at any bass music party, guaranteed.
Fitzgerald then goes sparse and slightly experimental with 'Friends in High Places'. There’s loads of space between the kicks in this one, giving the big sub bass hits plenty of room to do their thing, as well as allowing the percussion, washed-out pads and hypnotic synth loop to become the focus of the track. Together, this creates a warm soundscape which tempts and teases the listener, but never quite breaks out: the perfect tune to play right before a banger."
Check out George FitzGerald's podcast for Pulse Radio here