In a way, the most impressive thing is the subtle changes that individual sounds go through, providing a rewarding listen every time you play the record back, much like it’s possible to listen to any given part of an Autechre tune and take pleasure in how it evolves over the course of six or seven minutes.
[Release page] Bristol and London combine on the highly anticipated collaboration between Pinch and Shackleton, and you can really hear how each producer has brought their trademark sounds to the table on this one. A modern yet already classic-sounding dub record is the result.
I was immediately impressed by this album, which is very moody, experimental and minimal yet also possesses more mass-appeal than should be expected from these descriptions. The sound palette consists mainly of subsonic basses, flittering hi-hats, Eastern-style percussion, swirling pads and very occasional vocal samples, with whole sections sometimes relying solely on just one of these elements alone. It’s more out-of-step dub than the dubstep that these producers are known for, which may disappoint some, but you can tell they had a lot of fun creating this record and must be very proud of their handiwork. That’s not to say that there aren’t some deeper, darker, more groove-driven moments, for sure, with straight reverberating claps augmenting the scattier percussion and weighty basslines, but in general it’s a record that doesn’t demand your full attention at every turn and I can see myself returning to it time and time again because of this.
In a way, the most impressive thing is the subtle changes that individual sounds go through, providing a rewarding listen every time you play the record back, much like it’s possible to listen to any given part of an Autechre tune and take pleasure in how it evolves over the course of six or seven minutes. This, then, is an album by two producers at the top of their game – producers who are confident enough to eschew the dancefloor and produce some damn fine chill-out music for the headphone generation instead.
Pinch & Shackleton is available on Honest Jons. Note that the digital package contains 8 tracks, whereas the CD version also features bonus track and single “Boracay Drift.” [Release page]
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