Josi Devil lands on Hessle Audio with the much-anticipated 'Make It Better/Restless Sleep' – the label's first release of 2025. Already supported by Four Tet, Joy O, Interplanetary Criminal and many more, it is the closest Hessle Audio has come to releasing a double-sided UKG single since HES001 by TRG. Blending unsettling ambience and distorted textures with the euphoric and upfront energy of its vocal sample, it transcends a singular description.
'Make It Better' opens with a swung breakbeat intro that quickly dissolves into chopped disco vocal snippets. Anchored by textured sub-bass, the track teeters between euphoria and tension, as Josi carves out a track that is both spacious and gritty; a balancing act of energy and restraint.
Muffled drums and ominous, low-frequency samples set the tone for 'Restless Sleep'. Growling reece basses lend a brooding, menacing edge to his degraded Buchla tones. The interplay between the UKG-inspired samples and sonic architecture creates an uneasy, immersive soundscape—complex, yet firmly retaining the raw energy of a club track.
The Bristol-based producer has previously released on Innamind, BFDM, Sector 7 and Nervous Horizon. With an uncompromising approach to sound design, Josi carves out his own instantly recognisable sound at an intersection between tradition and futurism.