Slava trails his fantastic Raw Solutions album with the pounding ‘Werk’

If you want to chart Slava’s development over the last 12 months, check his record titles.

2012’s Soft Control – a fine collection of oddball footwork with a plush velvet sheen – did exactly what it said on the tin. New album Raw Solutions is, correspondingly, a much steelier, scrappier proposition. It’s a riotous brew of footwork, 2-step and house, shot through with a humorous streak, and already one of our favourite full-lengths of the year so far.

‘Werk’ is the winningly ropey album opener, and a perfect example of Slava’s newfound muscle. ‘Werk’ is pretty much all build and no release – a juddering footwork rhythm hammers away relentlessly as shredded voices bounce around like ping pong balls. When the drop does come, though, it’s sugary sweet. The loony video sees a pen-pushing Slava tumbling into a digital fantasy land, and offers a fairly accurate representation of the FACT office just after the 3pm biscuit rush.

Raw Solutions is due on April 23.