Dez Williams :: Insulted Intelligence (Bass Agenda)

A mind-boggling behemoth of an album to say the least. Blending breaks’n bass wrapped around flickering notes, synthesized blips’n bleeps are strewn throughout its sandblasted beats.

I’ll admit that my collection is lacking much of Dez Williams’ back catalog. Having amassed several releases and known as a prolific UK-based DJ and producer of cutting-edge underground electro, I approach his latest effort with Bass Agenda with wide open ears—and let me say, Insulted Intelligence is a mind-boggling behemoth of an album to say the least.

Crafted with a plethora of rugged basslines (ie. “Antillo”), Dez Williams inhabits ultra-wide sound spaces only to be gobbled up rapid-fire low-end electro, breaks, and carefully maneuvered melodic bits. Blending breaks’n bass wrapped around flickering notes, synthesized blips’n bleeps are strewn throughout its sandblasted beats. But what really stands out is Williams’ use of drifting rhythms counteracted by streams of mechanical data chunks. Take the flowing sonic details on “Vugue” next to the percussive cacophony of “Take Back Control” as it settles in a dystopian landscape. Elsewhere you’ll find robotic electronics on “Dailybred,” where modular mayhem runs parallel to beautiful distortion. Another highlight comes in the form of the aptly titled “Corrupt System” as a “system interrupt” sample is mixed in between heavyweight electro vibrations, undulating acid warbles, and staccato rhythms. There’s a lot to absorb on this album, and after a couple of months of rotation, I’m still discovering layers of dark soundscapes previously unheard.

Insulted Intelligence is simply an excellent album even if you’re coming late to the party—packed with all the baffling audible ingredients that have made Bass Agenda such an impressive imprint in the experimental bass and electro scene.

Insulted Intelligence is available on Bass Agenda.