POPDAR: Active Child - Subtle (ft. Mikky Ekko)

Active Child, the king of white boy R&B, has never really given the uptempo thing a chance before - why would he? Similarly sensitive and loosely urban male acts such as The Weeknd and How To Dress Well were flying high when he released his forlorn debut You Are All I See, and his powerful falsetto-led anti-anthems were a calling card given out almost exclusively by him. 

But on latest single "Subtle", Active Child jumps ship from to a distinctly more dancefloor-friendly vessel and the risk pays off, revealing a whole new area of talent from the melodramatic singer/songwriter.

"Subtle" isn't a word you would have ever associated with Active Child, and even less with the song he eventually names as such. He adopts a surprisingly sparse yet colourful 80s electropop backdrop and suddenly you can drawn distinct lines between Active Child's own voice and that of 80s icon Jimmy Somerville. And when the Blade Runner-esque brass synths drop the 80s transformation is complete. Mikky Ekko's Prince-flecked feature spot manages to add another level of the era to sharpen up proceedings.

"Subtle" is taken from Active Child's upcoming Rapor EP, due for release on October 22.

FOR FANS OF: Goldroom, Tensnake