Trance legends Above & Beyond have just released their first instrumental single of 2021, “Screwdriver.” Where most of the trio’s song titles allude to the uplifting and euphoric nature of their music (“Almost Home”, “I Saw Good”, and “Golden” are just a few examples), the mechanical nature of “Screwdriver” perfectly adheres to the sound of the track.
The track launches with scraping trance synths topping a stomping breakbeat drum pattern. Melodic movement soon follows, and then as the breakdown builds and builds, the expected release is snatched away as the breakbeat becomes even rawer on the drop. Some piano additions towards the end add some lightness, but overall one of the heaviest tracks from Above & Beyond in recent memory.
Listen to “Screwdriver” in full below:
