Posted in Music, Reviews on 07/27/2010 06:58 pm by snf
I was mesmerized when first hearing “Smooth Skin” from Quest (Twitter, Facebook) and now that I have the record it’s no less magical. I don’t write about a lot of Deep Medi because they get a lot of coverage as is, but this release is special even by Medi standards. As far as I’m concerned the b-side could be Miley Cyrus covering Rusko’s Jahova in acapella and it’d still be worth buying. Quest slows the tempo down to 94 bpm on this one producing something completely fresh, a combination of Kool and the Gang’s “Summertime” era high pitched synths, 808 cowbells, excellent syncopation on a woodblock and some soulful basslines. I literally can’t get enough. Bass music. Out to Quest, this one is a serious contender for song of 2010 in my book. The b-side “Wind Tunnel” is a pretty standard dubstep track done in a Quest style, it’s good but really can’t hold a candle to the a-side in my book. It does however maintain the extremely high standard of percussion that Quest lives up to in all his releases.
Posted in Music, Reviews on 07/19/2010 01:47 pm by snf
Out today on Project Squared is the “Pinpoint EP” coming from L-ow (Myspace, Soundcloud) who hails from Tallinn, Estonia. Two originals on this with a great remix from Furesshu, a Project Squared standard. Straight to the music.
First up “Pinpoint” is my favorite of the three with a rolling bassline and an excellent use of claps on the 2’s and 4’s to create a 4×4 feel without the sometimes oppressive quarter-note kick. The build towards the second half is equally good where a fuzzed out bass comes in to complete the soundscape. The second original from L-ow is “Diver”, based around some Berlin sounding chords that build and release in the first drop atop some L-ow sub-bass (pardon the pun). Sparse percussion and almost IDM-like clicks keep the song going. The last entry is a Furesshu edit of “Diver” which takes it further towards proper dub techno, maintaining the chords from the original and adding a new bassline. On the whole it’s another excellent release from the Project Squared crew, especially the title track.
L-ow – Pinpoint
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L-ow – Diver
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L-ow – Diver (Furesshu’s Die Welle edit)
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Posted in Music, Reviews on 07/19/2010 11:26 am by snf
The latest from the enigmatic label Hyperdub comes from the production duo Ill Blu (Myspace, Twitter) on a UK funky tip. kode9 selects from a huge swath when signing songs to HDB with this release, Kyle Hall and Cooly G versus his own work with the Space Ape, Ikonika’s album and a forthcoming single from Terror Danjah. There are similarities in the signings; they’re bass heavy, dance inducing, and generally excellent.
This single starts with “Bellion”, a pretty standard UK funky sound complete with marimba and the archetypical snare pattern. The a-side is quality but really doesn’t hold a candle to the b-side in my book, the innovative and percussive “Dragon Pop”. The bassline lays a foundation for what could be a congo, tambourine & snare drum line straight out of a marching band. The song is entirely driven by percussion which is probably why I love it so much, one of my favorites of 2010 so far. “Dragon Pop” is also the basis for an amazing remix of Mavado on a Suncycle production by Ill Blu, that one out now on Suncycle Digital.
Ill Blu – Bellion
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Ill Blu – Dragon Pop
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Posted in Music, Reviews on 07/17/2010 05:18 pm by snf
Mount Kimbie (Myspace) out of the London area are releasing their debut album on Hotflush next Monday. To get you a bit excited for the release they’ve put out a track off it for free download called “Field”. It’s a rather minimal track with eerie vocals, bleeps and echoey guitars that reminds me of an electronified version of The Album Leaf or some of Four Tet’s more electronic work.
The album as a whole showcases the duo’s diverse production ability with everything from the 1:26 “Adriatic”, a droney clip of chopped vocals, acoustic guitar and claps to the wobbly, 2steppy “Blind Night Errand” and the e-harpsichord sound of “Mayor”. On the whole this album isn’t the most dancefloor friendly of the Hotflush catalog, but it is beautiful music and definitely worth checking out.
Check out the free tune Field:
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Posted in Music, Reviews on 07/16/2010 05:41 pm by snf
Palms Out Sound presents their sixteenth release coming from Dubbel Dutch (Austin TX, Myspace, Soundcloud) titled the Throwback EP. Futuristic house music as demonstrated by the surreal cover art with three tracks that are all A-sides. I thought I published this but just found it in my drafts so better late than never, gonna be a double Dubbel Dutch day..
The title track “Throwback” is some finely crafted US funky with cut up vocals riding over trademark funky snares. Look out for the cowbells. Upon first hearing the second cut “Deep Underground” I was instantly mesmerized and probably rewound it about ten times in the mix I was listening to. I’ve long thought that breakdowns are a way to measure the production level of a track and the build in Deep Underground is one of the best I’ve heard in 2010. Personal favorite on the release easily. Last up is “Fool In You,” an 8-bit mutant house tune that sounds like a remix of a long lost NES soundtrack. All three have infectious grooves that I’ve witnessed send dances into a frenzy multiple times – get this in your life, and then on your dancefloor.
Posted in Music, Reviews on 06/24/2010 12:56 pm by shortstack
It has been a busy month for the HotFlush camp, with the recent release of Review: Sepalcure – Love Pressure EP (HF025), a new release on the ABUCS sub-label featuring a Ramadanman refix of Scuba’s Tense, as well as a new release on the HotFlush Two imprint from George FitzGerald. As much as I love the deeper, half-step sounds of modern bass-music, I am grateful for the refreshing summer swing of dance oriented releases such as this.
This release finds a great home on HotFlush Two, after some recent releases from the genre-bending Sigha, the imprint returns to a sound more exemplifying the aesthetics of Joy Orbison with this release. The A-Side of the release “The Let Down” fortunately does not live up to its name, with an intro of soulful synth stabs and layered vocals before the tune drops into a soulful and uplifting groove.
“Weakness,” the flip-side of the release builds intro with a slow filter release that builds tension before smoothly flowing into a deep groove accented by rhythmic percussion sounds with a smooth rolling bass behind it. Again, not an aptly named tune as the pressure from the sub-tones in this track make it anything but weak. The strong build continues through the second drop where the tune really comes alive with myriad vocal bends on top of staccato grooves of synth.
Summertime is here, and the latest string of releases from the Hot Flush camp have made sure that the dancefloor stays as hot as the weather has been with this release from up-and-coming producer George FitzGerald. These tracks are slated for release next week on June 28th. Anybody looking for more uplifting vibes on the floor should make it a point to bag these as soon as they are available.
Posted in Music, Reviews on 06/14/2010 02:38 pm by snf
I first heard music coming from Sepalcure back in February on Praveen’s excellent Lovestep Vol 2 mix and have been anxiously awaiting this EP ever since. A huge addition to the Hotflush catalog, the Love Pressure EP has four tracks spanning BPMs with a common style of melodic lovestep/future garage/post-dubstep or other genre bending terms. Prime “bass music”. Sepalcure are Praveen of Percussion Lab and Machine Drum both out of NYC who just by all accounts played an amazing set at Dub War just last month. Look out for this duo in the second half of 2010.
The title track “Love Pressure” is driven by a subtle 4×4 beat and well edited vocals that join up with some of the best pads I’ve heard in a while to form what is in my opinion a masterpiece of bass music. Seriously danceable music that forces a smile onto my face every time I hear it. In a similar vein the second track “Down” uses more syncopated kicks alongside a great woodblock to take you deep in the underground. Sounding something like the love child of James Blake and Joy Orbison, this one is masterful also. Just these first two alone put this EP among the best releases yet in 2010, but there’s two more to go.
The last two tracks on the b-side slow us down to the 125bpm area led up by “Every Day of My Life”. This isn’t your normal 125bpm EDM though with a shuffly beat carrying pitched down vocals that remind me of both Pangaea’s “Router” and the singing of Michael McDonald simultaneously. Last up is the extremely emotive “The Warning” complete with harps, piano and beautiful atmosphere again over a shuffly, sparse beat. This one makes me think of sitting by a cove on the pacific coast just watching the waves roll in with birds, wildflowers, and some little fluffy clouds blowing by overhead.
Posted in Music, Reviews on 06/07/2010 11:24 am by snf
The third release on the relatively new but very strong Open Earz Recordings comes from Dom Hz (Manchester, Myspace) who brings a three track EP of bass heavy and emotive music. 2step & dubstep flavors abound in this with gorgeous atmosphere in all three songs. This one out soon on vinyl, check your usual record shop.
The title track stands out on the EP in my view where a 1 minute long build releases into some massive bass with a halfstep feel. The percussion stays dynamic which is key to building a good halfstep track. Personal favorite of the release. The second tune “Elevator Skank” has some jazzy piano against a 4×4 beat with some soca snares, similar to a jazzy version of Marcus Visionary. Definite elevator business. Last up “Without You” is the most emotional of the release with rolling pads and soulful vocals. All together it’s a diverse and excellent release.
To promote this release they’ve decided to give away another track from Dom Hz, this one called “Black Diamonds.” Summertime feel on this one, music for a train ride to some vacation spot or a hillside picnic.
Posted in Music, Reviews on 06/07/2010 10:25 am by snf
The latest release on Dre Skull’s reggae/dancehall/funky label Mixpak records is this stellar EP coming from Mele out of England near Liverpool (Twitter, Myspace). This one has three originals and three remixes, I’m into 5 out of 6. This review is a bit belated but the EP is so large I’ve gotta do it.
The title cut Bombay is exactly the type of undefinable music that’s got me captivated at the moment, it’s some blend of reggae/ska guitars, intense kicks and bird chirps for atmosphere with a cut-up sample (Nuclear Bomb) as the only vocals. This is the one remixed three times, back to those later. Next on the EP is “Flexi,” very solid 2step vibes for 2010. Last of the originals is “And Of The Son” again with a mutant 2step feel and my personal favorite of the originals.
First of the three remixes of “Bombay” comes from Nadastrom (Wash. D.C., Myspace) that emphasizes the cut-up vocals in the original along with a juke beat and some dangerous basslines. I just rebuilt a subwoofer yesterday and was testing this one on it, trust it’s a worthy bass test for any system. Shortstuff dropped this one Thursday at Icee Hot and it mashed up the dance. Personal favorite on the release. French Fries (Paris, Myspace) tackle remix duties next with a funky house styled rerub of the original, replacing the ska guitars with an alien synth noise similar to something you might hear out of Roska. Funky crew this one yours. The last remix from HeavyFeet (Manchester, Myspace) is really the only one I’m not personally into on the release but if you’re into bassline house it might be up your alley.
Posted in Music, Reviews on 05/24/2010 08:14 pm by shortstack
Another exciting release from Haunted Audio Recordings today in the form of a four track EP from Belgian duo Subreachers. The title track of “Octave” starts off the release with a bubbling intro before dropping into a dark stepping rhythm on top of a deep drone accepted by a flanging background over myriad IDM style effects providing a unique texture to the track’s dark backdrop. The release’s second track “Upside” is my personal favorite of the release, a low frequency rattler with tightly syncopated percussion on top of long reverbs tails give this tune a very deep and introspective vibe. The second drop matches the bass of the first half of the track with a noticeable increase in resonance providing an almost tornado-like feel on any system with adequate bass response. ”Watched You” continues the introspective vibe of release with a subtlely, yet distinctly basstones across a sharp drum line interspersed with an occasional female vocal snippet. The release rounds off with “Wild Rose,” a slightly different track than the previous three tracks of the release; focusing heavily on the interplay of different percussion sounds as opposed to the cerebral bassline aesthetics of the releases previous tracks.
I have yet to be disappointed by any Haunted Audio Recordings release I have encountered up until this point and this latest effort from long time label contributors Subreachersdefinitely is keeping the streak alive. I am pleased to say I have a forthcoming review of another Haunted Audio Recordings release in the next few days planned so be sure to keep your eyes and ears open for that here on dubstepped.net. Until then however, be sure to check the clips at Juno Download or your other favorite digital store of choice and pick up this new release!
I was mesmerized when first hearing “Smooth Skin” from Quest (Twitter, Facebook) and now that I have the record it’s no less magical. I don’t write about a lot of Deep Medi because they get a lot of coverage as is, but this release is special even by Medi standards. As far as I’m concerned the b-side could be Miley Cyrus covering Rusko’s Jahova in acapella and it’d still be worth buying. Quest slows the tempo down to 94 bpm on this one producing something completely fresh, a combination of Kool and the Gang’s “Summertime” era high pitched synths, 808 cowbells, excellent syncopation on a woodblock and some soulful basslines. I literally can’t get enough. Bass music. Out to Quest, this one is a serious contender for song of 2010 in my book. The b-side “Wind Tunnel” is a pretty standard dubstep track done in a Quest style, it’s good but really can’t hold a candle to the a-side in my book. It does however maintain the extremely high standard of percussion that Quest lives up to in all his releases.
