Marshall Watson: Vibration Attention
Loöq Records

After listening to the fifteen minutes of material on this two-track single, one can't help regret that Marshall Watson (aka Shane) isn't more prolific. Judging from the evidence at hand, the San Francisco Bay Area composer and electronic music-maker possesses a Midas Touch of sorts when it comes to marrying infectious dance floor elements and melodic dreampop. Currently the Music Director at Sirius Sound, Watson has released scores of music since 2003 on labels such as Highpoint LowLife, Car Crash Set, 442, Volkoren, Celsius, and most recently Loöq Records.

A chugging bass synth pulse lends “Love Me Back To” a dark allure, but it's hardly the only thing the track's got going for it. Frothy cymbal patterns and treated vocal accents bolster its funky feel, and the tune advances through a number of explorative twists and turns during its scenic ride. Though “Vibration Attention” begins more unassumingly with a restrained 4/4 pulse, it quickly swells into a trippy slice of euphoria that's as much trance as house. In the minutes that follow, Watson coyly slips in claps, off-beat hi-hats, and a melodic hook so sweet and entrancing it'll lodge itself into your cranium for days--a track tailor-made to leave both clubgoers and home listeners spellbound.

March 2015