LURKA Vinyl & CDs

Review: Here, Bristol-based Lurka makes his second appearance on hometown imprint Hotline Recordings. In keeping with much of the label's output, the two tracks that make up Ritual Dingers are hard to place, with Lurka combining elements and influences from a variety of genres to create unique, percussive, bass-heavy blends. The title track sets the tone, building an atmospheric, surprisingly melancholic cut around a brilliantly programmed groove that seems to simultaneously doff a cap to jazz, broken beat, techno and post-dubstep beats. In contrast, flipside "Choke" is a pleasingly heavy affair, built around surging sub-bass, industrial electronics and the kind of booming riddim that should ignite any bass-obsessed dance.

Review: After launching in dancehall style with Kahn & Neek's Backchat last year, Bristol-based Hotline Recordings move to dubstep on this second release containing two bonafide bangers from Lurka. Known for his collaborations with Commodo and searing solo productions for the likes of Black Box and Box Clever, Lurka's sound shares elements of Coki's harsh mechanical wobble and Mala's propulsive rhythms, however his Hotline single is something quite different. "Full Clip" has all the sonic hallmarks of his previous productions, but ratchets the pace up to a ridiculous 175BPM halfstep and smears his basslines in what sounds like a vocoder; "BR Greaze" is similarly paced but combines his shackling rhythms with "Dominator"-inspired hoover synths. Great stuff and impeccable sleeve design once again.