Wilks returns to Bricolage with A Soul To Borrow, a six-track collection that fits neatly into the label’s reputation for subtle risk-taking. The Glasgow imprint has always encouraged its artists to stretch the boundaries of electronic music rather than chase its tropes, and Wilks again delivers on that premise. Following his earlier Left Hand Drive on Bricolage, this new release feels like a careful evolution, more refined, more assured, and deeply attuned to atmosphere yet solidly in the same spirit.
Wilks pulls from across the electronic spectrum, including IDM, ambient, electronica, and occasional flashes of drum-and-bass, but he doesn’t merely blend genres. He extracts their essences, the essential oils of rhythm, tone, and texture, and distills them into a kind of compound mega-drug. When poured into the ear, the result induces a lucid, blissful state where complexity and calm coexist, where every sound feels organic… because they are.
The album moves on a delicate balance between rhythm and tone. Beneath the intricate percussive architecture lies a world of soft-edged synths and flowing harmonies, ambient in their calm. Strip away the beats and you would still have something rich and transportive. Yet the percussion is vital: layers of textured clicks and shuffled hits replace the predictable spike of cymbals and hats, weaving percussive threads through the album’s tapestry. It is complex without being frantic, detailed without excess.
Wilks seems to have arrived at a quiet confidence here. The music does not reach for attention; it simply breathes, unfolding with clarity and purpose. Bricolage, as ever, provides the perfect home for this kind of work, a label that thrives on challenge and resists easy categorization. A Soul To Borrow stands as both continuation and deepening of Wilks’ sound, proof that he can evolve gracefully without losing sight of his roots.
A Soul To Borrow by Wilks releases 31 October, 2025 on Bricolage
