South London electronic duo VTR release their alluring debut EP Soul to Skin on Brixton’s Dream Diary Records. Throughout the five track EP sensual lyricism occupies a distinct space amidst spectral sound design, striking a balance between haunting depth and inviting warmth. Moments of pop clarity twist subtly into abstraction; vocals and sonics interlace and deviate much like the layered experimental films from which the duo draw inspiration. Although not a literal acronym, the name VTR pays tribute to the invention of the Video Tape Recorder, the first technology to offer simultaneous recording of audio and video. This retro- futuristic quality has already captured the imagination of tastemakers like Gilles Peterson, who opened his BBC Radio 6 show with the EP’s title track. Soul to Skin was co-produced by recent R&S Records signee Afriqua, whose SLAP EP and Chronic Cool 12” out on Dream Diary brought considerable attention to the label. The final offering on the EP is a Soul to Skin REMIX by INXEC (Crosstown Rebels, Get Physical, Cocoon and Leftroom and Culprit) Clash music were quick to premiere Soul to Skin describing VTR’s sound as an “entrancing mixture- reminiscent of those early James Blake EPs, or even the hushed intensity of Portishead.”