(07.04.07) In Cyrus Bristol dubstep maven Pinch has made an interesting choice to deliver the first single-artist full-length for his Tectonic imprint. It represents something of a reassertion of purist values in a young and
fast-evolving sub-genre. Cyrus and sidekick Omni formed Random Trio in 2002, with roots in South London pirate radio and in the darker sound of ukg (dubstep’s precursor), initially purveyed through their radio show, and then by Cyrus solo on Rinse FM. Essentially what Cyrus peddles in 06-07 is a most stripped down strain: minimal down-step. To the uninitiated, and those used to the event-filled song-based structures of a mainstream
musical backdrop, there’s a notable absence of elements to appease or remotely allure, little that’s shiny or hook-y to draw in anyone looking to cross over from another genre angle. In fact, it’s unlikely much of From the Shadows would be hearable, let alone worth listening to, say, on an iPod and ‘phones, as much of what these tracks are *about* is in the viscerality, the bountiful bottom-end booty, the subloaded grain that only proper speaker-cones can transmit.
One minute into the edgy depopulated sound stage of the opening “Gutter” and that familiar, somehow strangely ungroovy, snare-of-doom thunk has
started its hypnagogue hit, with just the odd trace of something to spice – a tabla tap or two, a doleful accordion whirl. “Mind Games” proffers slivery string pads and more bass (how low can you go, indeed). “Paradise Dub” is all inner city outer space in-dub with sparse environmental tints, remote drone and the wobbly sublow in spades. In terms of three-tier sound design, there’s a dearth of figure, a vagueness of field, and a big slab of
ground. Cyrus does for dubstep something akin to what Photek did for d’n’b, paring back and excising any sensual aspects, and honing down to a steely spartanism the very few parts left. The shavings from a raft of melody, wraith-like simulacra of synth motifs, a few features coming to light then sliding back down to the shadows. Dead beats for the deadbeat.
Track-by-track breakdown is otiose; you get all the picture you need from these bare outlines. The collection strikes as significant for its elements
of Not-thereness, as much as for what’s there; and, depending on how you construct its hollow emptied-out feel, it constitutes a suggestive soundtrack for UK’s urban post-teenage wasteland, with its joyless tension and its dead air longueur, it darkness at noon. Cyrus shares with Burial that strangely evacuated feeling that reviewers noted on that album’s release, its end-of-rave anhedonia, but Cyrus (thankfully) lacks those dead spirits of old soul divas, although it’s missing the bonus of a groovier rhythmic kick. Ultimately, with Cyrus, all that’s left is a low dinning sub-bass, some hats, a half-alive kick, and a trail or two of evaporating tonal just-about-harmonic matter. But, having registered this as Interesting
Phenomenon, the issue of its compelling listenable has to be addressed. And what emerges is that From the Shadows ultimately comes across as a long drawn-out seeming affair, serving to reinforce the impression that most successful dubstep albums (apart from the multi-artist mixes, like Tempa’s Dubstep All Stars series) come from the periphery, where the two-step programme gets tweaked from other angles (cf. Burial and Kode9) or pushed into other sub-genres (cf. Boxcutter). Or from mavericks like Skull Disco’s Shackleton and Appleblim, who have already delivered a more varied and texturally and rhythmically inventive CD-assemblage of their vinyl releases in the recent Soundboy Punishments, demonstrating just how far the blueprint can go if given some air from elsewhere and cut some slack.
That said, for the dubstep purist, till (and if) Digital Mystikz get around to doing an album, this is as good as the old skool gets. In the meantime
the template’s being shifted monthly, and the likes of current flavor of the month N-Type are already pushing a “ravier,” more high-octane
hyper-mixed creed to new believers. Still if you prefer to sleep on it, your sublight passage to the arms of Morpheus could well echo with the
sound of Cyrus.
From the Shadows is out now on Tectonic.
