BASS RECOMMENDATIONS FEBRUARY 2013

Review: Peddling releases back and forth between the Black Acre and 50Weapons labels, UK production unit Dark Sky return to Modeselektor's dynamic imprint with four bass heavy cuts. It's easy to imagine Gernot Bronsort and Sebastian Szary's eyes light up as they watched the lathe cut down and into the master copy of Dark Sky's Myriam EP for the first time. The bossy plods and squelchy kicks of "Shutter Speed" are reminiscent of the sounds heard on Modeselektor's earlier works Hello Mom! and Happy Birthday!, while dubbed out and hoovering synths link up with beats made for krumping - a form of street dance - in "Shades". On the flip "Hequon" picks up the pace with a tip-toeing bassline, skipping hi-hats and housey chords while the ghetto jungle percussion and 808 thumps of "Gaddagive" make a fitting backdrop for talkative and uplifting synths.

Review: With an ever-strong commitment to their very unique brand of modern electronic dance music, the Night Slugs posse are rounded up once again for a stock take on the follow up to the successful Night Slugs Allstars compilation. It's only with a chance to reflect such as this you can appreciate the range that falls neatly into the Night Slugs remit. At one turn you can be doused in the blinding sunshine of Girl Unit's cheery electro as on "Ensemble (Club Mix)", or at the next be confronted with the staggered stab frenzy of Helix's somewhat ironically named "Drum Track". Try reaching them without being thrown by Bok Bok's 31st century grime madness or Lil Silva's hyper-kinetic throwdown of mechanical psychedelia and you might have a chance of getting a handle on the label as a whole.

Review: Young Swedish producer Axel Backman first stole our attention under the 1991 name, surfacing on the Astro: Dynamics Soundcloud at the turn of the year with the stunningly degradated treatment of The Cure that was "Open To The Dark". That track eventually appeared on Backman's debut release, the eponymously titled 1991 tape put out by Astro:Dynamics in September, and this gauzy, star gazing side to the Swede was explored further on High-Tech High-Life, his subsequent release for the breakthrough label Opal Tapes. However, this didn't really prepare us for his latest Opal Tapes opus under the techno-focused MCMXCI moniker, Skogen, Flickan och Flaskan - which finds itself the deserved subject of the label's first vinyl release. Comprised of five originals of unrelenting, melting techno brutality, at times it sounds like Regis having a seizure ("Untitled 1"), Jamal Moss suffering from demonic possession ("Untitled 3") and a caustic take on Surgeon's breakbeat techno ("Untitled 4"). Only Huerco S's "New Age Reduction" of "Untitled 3" offers any kind of let up - but still succeeds in muddling your brain with its mucky kaleidoscope of tones. BIG TIP!

Review: Comprised of Koreless and Sampha, the Short Stories venture makes its debut appearance on Young Turks amid a sweltering blend of modern synth acrobatics and miniscule beat science. With a whisper of juke filtered into an R&B mincer and splayed across a multicolour tapestry, "On The Way" captures the spirit of James Blake et al with aplomb and concocts a sugary-sweet brew from it. "Let It Go" continues down much the same path, although paring down the elements to a more staggered template focusing on the drums more than the wobbly chords.

Review: Part of the Hoya Hoya collective along with Lone and Krystal Kleer, as well as gracing the likes of Brownswood, 3024 and Tectonic in his short career, Illum Sphere has made a name for himself with his individual brand of music that runs the gamut between garage, funk, and smudged out techno. This new single for the esteemed Young Turks should ensure his status continues to ascend; opening with an atmospheric intro that calls to mind the textured electronics of Young Echo member Vessel, "Birthday" soon gives way to a combination of warped vocal samples, decayed house strings and elastic bass, while the brilliantly named "H808er" is a superb slice of dark arpeggiated techno which switches from its unfiltered rasp into a melodic piece of melancholic pastoral electronica.

Review: In the wake of a healthy resurgence in grime instrumental appreciation, Youngstar's classic dance-wrecker "Pulse X" gets a hefty remix package from a sturdy cast of equally chunky producers. Visionist gets busy with some classic string stabs and a sleeker version of the inimitable bassline, replete with some subtle touches of weirdness around the edges. Blackwax gets truly unforgiving with his jungle-infused workout, stripping the track back to bare bones with nothing more than a pristine lift of the "Think" break to guide you through. Slackk gets into a tribal flavoured fervour with his take, while Pedro 123 has a whole lot of fun with found sound madness to shape the beat.

Review: Damu broke through in 2011 with a style that took R&B, UK funky and dubstep as a starting point and worked it into the technicolour, aqueous sound showcased first on the Mermaid EP on Local Action, and later his debut album Unity for Martin Clark's Keysound Recordings. Keeping his head down last year, Damu uses 2013 as a spring board for bigger things and the launch of his own eponymously titled label. This first release demonstrates a considered development in Damu's sound ,offering two tracks that glistens with the same liquid properties, albeit slightly steelier than previous productions. "If You've Got Nothing To Hide" comes on like a lumbering slice of Eski-techno, while "You've Got Nothing To Fear" sounds like a Vaseline-smeared Drexciyan nightmare.

Review: With the sublime summer hit "Hoop Dreams" still ringing in our ears, Blacksmif returns for his second outing on the BlahBlahBlah label. Opting not to tinker with the lush post-garage formula that made his debut such a winner, he presents a similarly urgent take on melodic bass music with "How The Fly Saved The River", as rolling yet distant UKF inspired snares tumble over a collage of fractured vocals and hazy stabs, while "Kangs Odyssey" takes a slightly more laid back approach with its jazzy arrangement that recalls a slightly more focused James Blake. Remix duties for the title track fall to Dummy Records and left_blank artist Lorca, who transform it into a piece of dubbed out yet melodic house music which should go down a storm on the dancefloor, making the insistent bass stand out even more against its spacious backdrop. Fans of Jacques Greene should check this!

Review: Sounds like an individual, actually a duo. Elson David is brothers Duct and Owen Howells, and this is their very first release together. Largely coated in classic acid house references, there are plenty of surprises on offer to keep you on your toes. The title track is especially interesting; rolling with a Pierre style acid and bounce-bass technique, it quickly morphs into an infectious p-funk hybrid before hitting some seriously spiky high notes. Looking for Maurice-style acid stomp session? Then flip for "Woke" and turn those lights off.

Review: Ital Tek joins the likes of Reso and Starkey and jumps to Civil with four brand new flavours - each one as sparkling, uplifting and rhythmically complex as his ace body of work on Planet Mu. Sonically smelting the best aspects of juke, dubstep, techno and good old fashioned electronica, each moment on "Hyper Real" is an urgent call to the dancefloor while giving your mind plenty to chew on: "Hyper Real" reaches for the sun without any protective clothing whatsoever, "Re Entry" is more somnambulant shuffle that gets interrupted by a massive classic electro bass riff. "The Flood" looks to Detroit for inspiration while "Froze Up" takes a techno tablet. Let's get real now people; hyper real!

Review: In an era when considered eclecticism is all the rage, Hessle Audio founder Ben UFO still stands out. He's long been considered one of electronic music's more interesting DJs, seemingly able to weave together disparate sounds and styles into a logical, entertaining whole. This contribution to the FabricLive series shows him at his masterful best, utilising the simple pleasures of rhythm to weave together 28 thrilling and thoughtful selections. In the space of 70 minutes, he somehow manages to fuse sparse electro with classic acid house, murky post-dubstep techno with tribal African rhythms (and sharp '80s proto-house synths), Mr Fingers with Shackleton, stripped analogue techno with tactile futurism, and locked grooves with crystalline electronica. Truly, it's a tour de force.