EP
Draper
Luminous
January 13 2017 (M:UK)
7/10
Words: Richard Cobb
Unlike most, French-born, London-based electronic pop producer James Arthur Draper had a pretty good 2016. After ending the year on an impressive 2 million Spotify listeners, 2017 sees him release new EP ‘Luminous’.
Opening with ‘Want You More’ featuring Sam Sure, there's a good consistent 90s disco vibe throughout, but I feel the song plays it quite safe and there’s not a huge amount of variation on offer. It is the infectious ‘Jealous’ which features the soulful vocal adornment of BB Diamond, and ‘Heartbeat Close’, that are the real standouts for me, both displaying definite chart potential; the former having already signalled its intent with recent airplay from Radio 1Xtra.
One of my favourite things about ‘Luminous’ is the wide range of vocal guests, all of whom add something unique to each of the six tracks: KYKO - aka 20-year-old Scott Verrill, whose own 'Wildlife' EP is imminent - on 'I.O.U' and Sykes on closer 'Who Are You', in particular.
Whilst the majority of the EP would work best in a club setting, I’ve no doubt that chart success will shortly follow for Draper. The timing of the EP is spot on too, as if you’re too skint to make it out to a club this month, it would also work great in a post-Christmas gym session!
Having remixed an extensive amount of tracks in the past for Ellie Goulding, Twin Atlantic, Bring Me The Horizon and Passion Pit amongst others, it’s only a matter of time before Draper becomes a household name in his own right.
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