Halls is electronic producer/artist Samuel Howard, whose second EP, 'Fragile', was released last month by The Sounds Of Sweet Nothing, a year after his debut. Close, gentle, delicate, the new record's songs are built of tiny circular loops and tender-but-deadpan vocals (as on the almost religious I Am Not Who You Want), like fragments from soundtracks to forgotten films of extreme melancholy. There is a nocturnal grandeur to these tracks, which are less skittery and sample-based than in earlier tracks (like Chakra Drums), and the south London-based musician looks to be on the verge of something big. Listen to and buy the Fragile EP here.

WHAT's...

...your secret talent?
I can dance quite well.

...your worst vice?
Can't say I actually have a vice. Maybe it'll come with age.

…the story behind your name?
Contrary to a few things I've read the name did not come about because I stayed in university housing, that was just a coincidence. Only one song was written whilst I was staying there. I wanted the name to be cavernous, cold, concise.

... your favourite sound?
At the moment, crisp, clear sounds. I want everything to sound sharp and intensely precise at the moment.

...your worst fashion secret?
I don't really have one...

...your favourite website?
Not sure, probably Discogs. Websites you can trawl through.

...your favourite label?
P.W Elverum & Sun. The packaging for the records they sell feel so special, everything is really well thought out.

 ...at the top of your hit/shit list?
Hit as in good, or hit as in kill? If the former, "Staircase" by Radiohead. If the latter, the list goes on...

...are you listening to now?
'Low' by David Bowie, 'Felt' by Nils Frahm and 'Kind of Blue' by Miles Davis.

How would you describe your work?
'Pensive searching'. Especially the new material I've been working on; my work is at it's most cohesive yet but still has a yearning...I always want better and better.

What are you most excited about next?
Releasing the new songs that I've been finishing. I have written a lot since the summer and I want to release it as something special. We'll see.