Frankly, there are far too many genres involved on this record to keep count of, yet they’re all flawlessly brought together to provide a very rewarding listening experience for both the club and the living room.
[Listen | Purchase] In_Sect actually dropped over the summer, but as we’re still giving it regular listens some six months later, we felt it deserved to be highlighted as one of 2010’s hidden gems. Parisian native Frédéric Garcia, also known as Niveau Zero, played in various hardcore outfits during his youth as a bassist, before moving through the French drum ‘n’ bass and hip-hop scenes with equal aplomb as a producer, all of which comes to form the backbone for his brutal and extreme take on modern bass music.
The opening track, also called “In_Sect,” sets out the Niveau Zero stall perfectly. In just over four minutes, there’s everything from atmospheric movie samples to crunchy metal guitars, some truly huge basslines, stripped-back yet entirely massive beats and even a smattering of hip-hop for good measure. Welcome to the heady world of French dubstep, Ad Noiseam style.
By far the most addictive tune on the album is “First,” which features fellow French producer The Unik (Soundcloud stream below). Together, the pair unleash a track with the potential to decimate bass bins and ruin the tweeters on all but the most rugged of PAs. It begins simply enough, with dark pad sounds, tuned percussion and a very nice synth melody that pops up throughout the rest of the track. More movie samples come in, then all hell breaks loose and one of the hardest basslines of the year sweeps everything aside, blending a distinctly grindcore sound with plenty of sub weight. The beats also resemble the sounds and patterns used in metal, though it’s clearly dubstep in essence. Honestly, Ad Noiseam should seriously consider offering this track up on wax, as it would undoubtedly compliment sets by any of the genre’s big hitters, where vinyl is still the most common medium for dancefloor destruction.
Garcia also calls upon the services of various MCs on In_Sect, for some of the more hip-hop flavoured offerings. “Revolution HXC,” for example, features Real Fake MC and Plan Nine, who provide an angry political rap over an uptempo hip-hop groove and an almost electro style bassline, while Ben Sharpa and Ill Smith come together on “Laws Of The Universe,” a track that effortlessly melds dubstep beats with a healthy dose of metal-style hip-hop. Ill Smith also features on the more laidback album closer, “Hyperlord,” and there’s a rather tasty remix of “Evil League” by fellow Ad Noiseam artist Hecq, who twists the track into an aggressive bassline workout that even Dutch DnB heavyweights Noisia would be proud to call their own.
Other cuts on In_Sect, such as “I Believe In…” and “Gracilicornis,” also bring techno, breakbeat and industrial influences to the table, and there’s a subtle undercurrent of electronica production techniques throughout. Frankly, there are far too many genres involved on this record to keep count of, yet they’re all flawlessly brought together to provide a very rewarding listening experience for both the club and the living room. Yes, it’s hard as hell, but it’s also pushing the heaviest end of the dubstep spectrum into some very welcome new territories. Kudos to Niveau Zero.
In_Sect is out now on Ad Noiseam. [Listen | Purchase]
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