Mark Stewart’s approach as Claro Intelecto exists somewhat out of time. While you can detect classic hallmarks of Detroit techno and Chicago house in his music, the Manchester-raised producer has rarely responded to the trends of the day, instead forging his own sound out of custom-sculpted drums and thick blankets of pads. Sometimes that sound revels in hazy melancholia and at other times it lurks in the shadows, but it’s consistently timeless. There’s a consistent heaviness to Claro Intelecto. It’s not leaden or ungainly – Stewart knows how to wield weighty sound matter with precision, but the mood and presence of his music bears down with purpose, whatever the particular niche he’s exploring at any given time. As fads and phases flutter past overhead, Claro Intelecto lingers in a feeling refreshingly outside the slipstream. lb-agency.net