Paperclip Minimiser :: II (peak oil)

Titleless tracks and stripped-back aesthetics conceal a deliberate complexity. By reducing to essentials, Paperclip Minimiser reveals mature, confident production—slicker than oil, hot with intent, and deeply, deliciously rooted in bass culture’s enduring swing.

Shadowy, elastic, and unapologetically physical.

John Howes, erstwhile label honcho at Cong Burns, returns with his second archival set under the Paperclip Minimiser moniker. What unfolds is a low-end theorist’s dream: a bass-weight manifesto that feels purpose-built for testing fresh speakers while baptizing them in voltage. This is a collection tuned to a particular season of neo-funk bass music—shadowy, elastic, and unapologetically physical.

Anchored by the tuffest of bottom ends and sharply clipped drum triggers that click, snap, and pop with intent, the tracks lock into grooves that interconnect seamlessly. Each cut feels self-contained, yet together they form something greater than the sum of their parts. The through-line is weight and swing—precision-engineered rhythm wrapped in swagger.

Remote pads slide and glisten across the spectrum, clearing away the cobwebs of safe, routine listening. Howes pushes beyond functional minimalism, crafting darkroom-ready rollers designed for solitary hipsway as much as collective immersion. There’s a distinct strain of jazz in the circuitry too—an echo of classic digital-in-funk sensibilities, where syncopation and space speak louder than excess.

Titleless tracks and stripped-back aesthetics conceal a deliberate complexity. By reducing to essentials, Paperclip Minimiser reveals mature, confident production—slicker than oil, hot with intent, and deeply, deliciously rooted in bass culture’s enduring swing.

Mastered by Miles Whittaker
Cut by Dietrich Schoenemann

II is available on peak oil. [Bandcamp]