George Maple is to Jessie Ware what Eddi Front is to Lana Del Rey – she's a more than decent mini-me, and could operate as an acceptable stand-in at public functions should the real McCoy suddenly be called away on urgent business. Like Eddi, George is a woman with a man's name. And like Jessie, this London-based Australian sings coolly yet soulfully – passionate dispassion, that old trick – over a lushly minimal beat, usually of the downtempo variety. It is a soft and soothing electronic soul that provides an antidote to Skrillex-y EDM, the kind that Ware has been making with her producers Julio Bashmore and Two Inch Punch and that, well, quite a lot of people are making these days, including the excellent Bondax, a pair of producers who record for Justus, the same label as Maple. 　　Let's be honest: people have been making music like this for years, no matter what modern name it's been given. Has anyone called it Glitch&B yet? No? Probably for the best. We haven't heard anything quite that quirky from Maple yet. In fact, the combination on her debut single Uphill of the gentle patter of percussion and repeated electronic keyboard chords remind us of the backing to Marvin Gaye's What's Going On. It's post-the xx, is what it is. It's also very Sade, arguably the queen of this quiet storm-tronica and the template for Ware and Maple's update of ambient/chillout/trip hop. Like we say, really it's just slow synth soul. It's not a new paradigm, just a refinement of the divine. And it's all topped off by Maple's oddly characterless voice, its very blankness being the quality that allows it to fit seamlessly into this softly sultry setting. It can be heard to similarly suitable effect on Bring You Down, a track by the young Sydney producer/prodigy we featured in this column before Christmas. Here, Maple's cameo part is nicely unobtrusive, although she does indulge in some soaring acrobatics towards the end. She is currently in the studio with Bondax and Two Inch Punch among others, recording material for her debut album. Let's hope they keep her reined in and allow the mellow mood to reign.