Photophob has got a very deep, dark and densely textured sound going on with hints of apocalyptic dubstep, shoegaze and industrial influences. Thick rasping basses sear through oppressive textures like missiles across the sky of a city razed to the ground. Photophob has got a very German sound going on. He’s Austrian, but I don’t really [...]
Articles By: Gustave Savy
DUB MAFIA :: Dangers at breakneck speed
Since forming just two years ago, Bristol based Dub Mafia have become one of the most formidable acts in the UK dance scene and beyond. The seven-piece band are synonymous with blending drum and bass, dub, dubstep, breakbeat and world music to create their own unique sound. And, with a strict policy of ‘no backing [...]
Crump :: Chiaroscuro EP (Slime)
A bouncy, rolling batch of minimal house tracks with a somewhat understated feel. It’s solid though, infectious and persistent, like a puppy needing a walk. I have to admit—Crump (aka Alex Crump)—is a producer that I’ve not come across before. He’s a Bristol lad with a bit of form and has just had his EP [...]
Steve Hilmy & Daniel Barbiero :: Live at Bella (Zeromoon)
These two highly respected musicians have collaborated on a performance of outstanding experimental electronically manipulated and processed soundscape that questions the listeners expectations of what ‘music’ is or should be. [Release page] A live recorded set of double bass and live electronic manipulation. What a prospect! These two highly respected musicians have collaborated on a [...]
Kayla Painter :: Self-Titled (Self-Released)
A gentle and subtle journey of quirky samples, floaty ambience, interesting rhythms, sultry vocals and the odd bit of low end to keep you on your toes. It is a laid back affair that is suited to end of the day listening, or maybe a lazy Sunday afternoon in the sun. Kayla Painter has just [...]
Eyelove :: Mysticism EP (Slime)
Awash with floaty processed guitars and trance inducing blurs of electronic ambience, the tracks are downtempo, laid back and deep with an air of reserved technical accomplishment in the production stakes. Not the usual thing you might expect from Slime, a label generally associated with the business end of the DJ market with releases from [...]
Machine Gun Militia :: Open Fire EP (Oeuvre)
An atmospheric blend of introspective moodiness, ominous and magnificent soundscapes, and most of all, heavy growling bass. The more I listen to this EP the more I like it. That’s not to say I didn’t like it upon first hearing it, I did. There is something really balanced about these tracks, the beats are well [...]
LoFeye :: The Road Is A River (Twocircles)
The combination of field recordings, Latin folk, eerie melodic motifs and gloriously melancholy and slightly sinister atmospheres makes this one of the most interesting and original things I’ve heard in a while. [Release page] The premise of this LP is something which sounds interesting. Despite talking about the LP in terms of a journey and [...]
Materia :: Komatiite EP (Slime)
Tight drums, deep bass, melodic and harmonic mastery wrapped up in intricate and evolving atmospheres and textures. Swedish born Bristol producer Materia has worn a lot of hats during his years producing music—which incidentally number quite a few now—from Drum and Bass to Tech House, and more recent forays into the steadily deepening black hole [...]
Northerner :: I Am On Your Side (Home Assembly)
I Am On Your Side is good, in an extremely chilled out way, with very endearing atmospheres, nice ambiences and sounds pinned together with washes of guitar. [Release page] Any release that has the word mellifluous within the body of its promotional material has to be, at the very least, worth a listen. Northerner’s latest [...]
Ana Tijoux :: La Bala (Nacional)
Soulful is a word that you might use to describe it, full of lush string arrangements and easily flowing vocals, including several guest appearances. La Bala is Ana Tijoux’s second full length album. The title, which means ‘the bullet’ gives an indication as to the content. The Chilean MC delivers entirely in Spanish, my grasp [...]
Kappah :: Tribal Dances (Bedroom Research)
The album is a sampling wonkfest of jerky beats, odd sounds, meaty synths and solid bass. There are influences from all over the place, Indian style scales and instrumentation sit quite happily alongside African inspired-rhythms and vocal samples. Tribal Dances by Kappah is a wonderfully wonky collection of beats from Italian producer Christian Kappah Pevere. [...]
Artifact :: Archaic Line (Deadplate)
More good—forward looking bass heavy music from Bristol and London, a collaboration which seems to be all the rage at the moment. Artifact delivers this mutant house/techno/garage hybrid with unfettered authority. Skittery hats and swinging percussion usher in a killer steppy groove with “machine gun” snares (a somewhat clichéd term, but appropriate) and tight sub, which [...]
Kowton vs Dusk :: Kowton v Dusk EP (Keysound)
A great release from Keysound, pretty much right on the pulse of the bass crossover scene. London and Bristol unite (again) with this deep offering from Kowton & Dusk. In the London corner, Dusk brings his understated bass drenched garage stylings in the form of the slightly sinister “Fraction”. Squaring up to him in the [...]
Al Tourettes :: Swan Sketch EP (Baselogic)
Swan Sketch seems to straddle the worlds of experimental exploration and bass heavy bangers, not only that, but it does it comfortably without feeling contrived. Al Tourettes is a Bristol based producer who has been garnering a lot of critical acclaim recently, and this release only strengthens his growing reputation. A tough and menacing collection of [...]
I.D. :: Clipper EP (Bass Music)
Drawing its influence from Dubstep, UK bass and Garage primarily, this is a proper rinse out guaranteed to turn the floor to a writhing mass of sweaty grimacing bodies. In a sea of mediocre, and sometimes outright bad dubstep tunes, this one stands out a mile. One of the first bits of new music I’ve [...]
Coppe’ vs. Bit-Phalanx :: Yogurt (Charity album in aid of Japan Tsunami Relief)
[Releases page] Coppe’ has been one of the many pioneering lights of Japanese electronic music for a great many years. She has collaborated with such luminaries as Red Snapper, Plaid, The Orb and literally hundreds of others. She has run her own record label Mango + Sweetrice Records since 1995, and has just been one [...]
Craig Colorusso :: Sun Boxes (Self-Released)
Isn’t it good to know there are people out there building solar powered sound installations? [Release page] Sun Boxes is something a bit different to the staple of releases covered in these pages. This is truly in the realm of the conceptual. Sun Boxes is in fact an installation by sound artist Craig Colorusso rather [...]
Vittoria Fleet :: Kissing Cousins EP (Self-Released)
The dialect this EP communicates in is one of intense waves of meticulously well crafted sound, intricate yet heavy beats and deft female vocals. All in all, a great EP, especially for a debut, and one which should, if there is any justice, be given the attention it deserves. [Release page] Kissing Cousins by Vittoria [...]
Eric Bobo & Latin Bitman :: Welcome to the Ritmo Machine (Nacional)
Welcome to The Ritmo Machine has such a wide scope of influence: Salsa, Samba, ‘70’s Soul, classic Funk, Cuban rhythms, Latin grooves, East Coast Hip-Hop, Flamenco, the list goes on and on. Heavy beats and percussion driven grooves that lean heavily towards Latin America, but with more then a passing nod to, well, the rest [...]
Jilk :: Carry On! (Bit Phalanx)
Rooted stylistically in electronica; lots of intriguing pops, crackles and fizzes along with reverb drenched pianos, voices, strings, chopped up guitars and various field recordings. Jon Worsley has been producing and performing music under the moniker of Jilk for a number of years, and has amassed quite a number of compilation appearances and net label [...]
Timo Maas feat. Brian Molko :: College 84 (Rockets & Ponies)
Having made more then a dalliance into the outright mainstream from time to time in his DJ and production exploits, but he definitely knows how to throw a good sounding four-to-the-floor beat down. In fact, he’s capable of putting out really well crafted techno/house tracks that just sound solid. Timo Maas, as you no doubt [...]
RUDE AUDIO :: That Dirty Echo
I love the idea of a whole load of people all piling in to a project and it actually working. Music should be a communal thing sometimes, it’s one of the best things about it, a sense of connection through music. Rude Audio are a collective based in London who are about to release their [...]
Clem Leek :: Lifenotes (Drifting Falling)
Lifenotes is a nice mixture of complex atmospheres and stripped back pieces. It has a long track list (sixteen), but they are all short tracks, easily digested. Clem Leek is a composer who has quietly been working away for some time now. He is very often described as neo-classical, which is a pretty loose term [...]
Leah Kardos :: Feather Hammer (self-released)
Drawing influence from some of the twentieth century’s serious avant-guard protagonists, the obvious one being Cage with the use of prepared piano and the exploration of how context and sound collide to infer a narrative, but there are also hints of the minimalist Glass and perhaps Reich. This is nicely partnered by some really interesting [...]
Buraka Som Sistema :: Komba (Enchufada)
This is real and dirty completely contemporary street music that has developed across continents and is as heavy and far removed from safe open minded white middle class as you could get. With this album, Buraka Som Sistema have pushed the boundaries further and spread their net of influence wider to incorporate elements of Hip [...]