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 growls away underneath the solid triplet bass drum pattern. Plenty of quirky synth hooks, percussion action and pad atmospheres all contribute to the infectious roll of the title track.

Artifact, otherwise known as Ryan Bonfield hails from Bristol UK, and sits comfortably among the current surge of producers expanding outwards from this city. As dubstep veers away from the underground, branching into a parody of itself with less and less imagination, groups of bass music junkies still gather in Bristol’s Idle Hands record shop to keep abreast of the newest sounds that have evolved from that original revolution. Lots of the stuff coming out at the moment is a lot more subtle then that of a few years ago, and the focus is much more on groove and less on outrageous bass sounds. Outrageous bass sounds are fine, I have nothing against them, but when music relies solely on one element at the expense of a wider musicality, then it is bound to suffer. Labels are becoming less relevant, the house, garage, techno and dubstep scenes have merged into something else, everyone is influenced by everyone else, and some of the results are fantastic.

Back to Archaic Line.

The title track itself is a brooding, dance floor friendly (or unfriendly depending on your perspective), swinging slice of bass heavy garage with a strong house influence. Swung hats and Detroit style chords usher in the track which drops fairly quickly with a bassline that growls away in accompaniment with the kick. Subtle bits of percussion dip in and out giving everything a great sense of momentum. A grimy swinger that is absolutely on the money. The b-side track, “Deserted”, is a tough 2-step with a vocal hook that sits pretty well over the tightly produced drum patterns. A swelling pad provides the underlying atmospherics throughout, and it doesn’t need anything else. The remix is by Graphics, and has a more laid back feel then the original. Graphics turns the track into a straight 4/4 techno house type thing, which has a great feel with an exhausting cowbell pattern through most of it. Swirling pads and tinkling synth lines contrast with the more hurried feel of the percussion.

More good—forward looking bass heavy music from Bristol and London, a collaboration which seems to be all the rage at the moment. Well, it seems to be working.

Archaic Line is available on Deadplate.