BASS RECOMMENDATIONS NOVEMBER 2014

Review: Whether he's producing as 2562 or A Made Up Sound, new material from Dave Huismans is always met with a sense of expectation. Things get magnified further when you consider The New Today is the Dutch producer's first LP in three years under the 2562 name! The landscape has changed considerably since 2011's Fever, but listening to this eight track set you feel Huismans is still marching to his own beat as opposed to following others. Conceived over six weeks in New York last year and committed to tape in his Utrecht studio, The New Today sees the Dutchman draw from past sounds like "European synth experiments, new age tapes, musique concrete, krautrock, post punk" to weave whole new electronic patterns in a manner that sounds so very 2562. In other words, it's fckn great!

Review: After a stellar debut on Livity Sound's Dnuos Ytivil sub label, man like Bruce adds Hessle Audio to his prospering profile with the Not Stochastic 12". Representing the crucial UK label's first release of 2014, the standard of productions on show from Bruce demonstrates Hessle Audio's quality over quantity approach continues to pay dividends. The triplet also demonstrate Bruce has quite a few strings to his production bow, with the general vibe differing from the weighty swung techno of that excellent Dnuos Ytivil record. From the off, Bruce exudes a trippy style of sonics that bring to mind the work of Dynamo Dreesen or SVN.

Review: Announced back in September, news of the first release of substance from Kode 9 and The Spaceape in three years was naturally roundly greeted given their status at the top of the pecking order for apocalyptic producer-MC combos. Of course the release of Killing Season has been massively overshadowed by the recent passing of The Spaceape (aka Stephen Samuel Gordon) after a long battle with a rare form of cancer, but his commitment to music has remained undimmed despite health issues and this five track EP is as good as anything the pair have worked on. It's as dark as ever, but "Devil Is A Liar" too shows a lighter, more limber approach to the finished product, not so leaden in British urban dread. The minimalism reaches a peak on "Heart" with its slithering smatterings of trap and plush chords, while The Spaceape rips the human condition to shreds, and the later into the EP you go the more adventurous the tracks become.

Review: This sixth release from Glasgow's purveyors of the finest techno, All Caps, was first announced back in April with Ekranoplan presented as a mysterious production unit with a fascination for low-flying aircraft. It was more recently revealed that Ekranoplan is the work of Julio Bashmore and Kowton, and listening to the four tracks that make up Wing-In-Surface-Effect, it makes sense for the pair to present them under this new name. The looped lounge of "One Metre Up", rolling percussion of "Coil" and flotation tank dubstep of "Star Frog" all demonstrate Bashmore and Kowton clearly have a keen studio understanding. More please All Caps!

Review: Cooly G seems to be maturing with age. Or, at least, that's the impression given by sophomore set Wait 'Til Night, which eschews the alluring heaviness of her club-friendly singles in favour of a seductive, atmospheric, late night brew variously influenced by R&B, lo-fi electronica, space pop, hip-hop, dubstep and simmering synth-scapes. While some of the songs are charged with intense sexual desire - Hyperdub's PR outfit has aptly described it as "lo-fi bedroom music" - it's not all come-to-bed-eyes and seductive moves. In fact, many of the album's more potent moments deal with destructive relationships, the loss of love and the complex interplay between the sexes. As a result, Wait 'Til Night is as poignant as it is flirtatious.

Review: Brainfeeder regular Lapalux first came to light with the Many Faces Out Of Focus cassette release back in 2011. Now London label Pictures Music have decided to issue forth a vinyl edition to shed fresh light on the early productions, and with good reason. The style will be familiar territory for fans of Lapalux's dreamy constructions, with "Time Spike Jamz" and "Quick Kiss" in particular swirling in a reverie of blissful melodies played out by sumptuous piano, vocal and pads shredded into off-kilter downtempo grooves. There's a whisper of early mount Kimbie about the likes of "Sister Pick" with its dismembered RnB flow, but it's all shot through with that West coast flavour that would go on to shoot the British producer on to a global platform.

Review: US artist Chaz Bundick is best known for his output as Toro Y Moi, a prolific project that across four albums and countless singles helped to define the much maligned chillwave movement. In the midst of his popularity, Bundick began to explore dancefloor tropes more explicitly as Les Sins and this project really took flight with the two records released on Dan Snaith's Jiaolong label over the course of the past two years. Snaith's work as Daphni is probably a good reference point for Michael, the debut album from Les Sins which cover, art aside, is a most enjoyable if unpredictable listen. Never really sticking to one style, there are bits of house, disco, ghetto-tech, bass music and pop covered across the 11 tracks.

Review: It's as good as a debut outing here for Nurve, who gets snapped up to Tectonic after just one previous airing on the Pinch b2b Mumdance mix that surfaced earlier in 2014. In line with Pinch's current explorations into dark strains somewhere between his foundational dubstep and gnarly techno, "Wrong Number" strikes a positive chord with all the nastiest elements. "Clik Clak" gets busy with the sound design and some advanced arranging, keeping space and flexibility in the mix even with a dizzying amount of sonic details. There's plenty of the hardcore continuum to be enjoyed across this release, even as the production levels reach to the most wild ends of the electronica spectrum.

Review: WNCL Recordings is the creative hub for Bob Bhamra's West Norwood Cassette Library project - now almost five years old and always specialising in the more intricate and subtle ends of the house spectrum. Over the years, however, several guests have appeared on the label such as Kevin McPhee and Ekoplekz and this time it's up to newcomer-probably-under-alias, CEO, to make his way down to South London. The Major Edits EP, as the title suggests, is a mashup of high-tek, sound futurism mostly all based beyond the 130bpm mark. The opener, "Screeching", is a fast-paced jungle burner with stripped synths and bouncy kick going off left-right and centre. The rest of the EP follows in a similar vein, where tracks like "Loud" are a truly sublime blend of hardcore, techno and jungle. An ode to rave and a wonderful addition to Bhamra's catalogue.

Review: Always concerned with keeping dubstep and its subsidiary styles marching ahead into fertile new ground, Keysound operatives Dusk + Blackdown have an interesting twist to this new "EP", which offers up four new tracks, four remixes and two mix recordings as a stock take of where everything is at in bass music right now. The new material finds the rhythms moving in limber and playful ways, while the melodic content stays gritty and moody, even if the LV-esque synth blasts of the title track shed some colour on the surroundings. There's a healthy thread of grime and all manner of rave signifiers woven into "Peng One Two", and some more wild experimentation on "Epic Jam", and then the remixes fling out in equally eclectic configurations. For top shelf bass mutations across the board, you can do no wrong here.

Review: To complement the digi only release of the Fantastic Mr Fox collaboration with Kid A, Black Acre have done the right thing and pressed up the Visionist remix as a one sided 12" for those who like their beats physical. In original form, "You Turn" is an unabashed pop construction with unhinged '80s electro funk complemented by an undercurrent of acid, whilst Kid A's vocals have led to Bjork comparisons. Visionist strips away any of the shiny, poppy elements and compounds the comparisons the original had to Bjork. Wonky, far-out, spacious and wholly immersive, it's less of a remix and more of brand new production in its own right. Complex.

Review: Welcome to Anarchostar; a new label from Distal that - with the visual help of Argentinean artist Freschcore - paints an entire universe that's at once alien and strangely familiar. Retrograde Space Opera is the label's debut narrative, and it's a deeply alluring narrative that tickles both the mind and feet. From beatless oddities such as the quirky data squiggling Q&A of "Boo Monde" and the heavy synth wheezes of "Breaking The Atmosphere" to outright dancefloor slappers such as the old school garage warbles and fractured beats of "Nomodawah's Tomb" and the seasick synth swoons and cosmic synth-string flurries of "Ancient Scripture", Distal has followed up his Tectonic-released debut album Civilization with distinction. From concept to construct, this really is an impressive piece of work.

Review: Clip! might be known for his techno and the title of this EP is "Love Harder"... Titles and reputations, however, can be misleading. Clip!'s warmest track to date, "Only One" is all about the breezy synths and emotive chord changes. "Love Harder", meanwhile, takes us back to late 80s Chicago, all acidic and funky and authentically feel-goo. Dig deeper for "Hope You Feel", a bass-led house stutter with lavish pianos and deep rooted vocal textures, and "You Don't Have To", a straight up warehouse garage joint with delicate chords, neatly processed vocals and spacious dynamics. Love harder, think softer...

Review: ** Repress ** London-based Throwing Shade has risen swiftly since signing to Kassem Mosse's Ominira imprint last year. With frequent gigs and a mini tour of Germany, her seductive brand of house-tinged R&B is turning heads left, right and centre. Her debut LP is a perfect blend of ethnic and urban sounds in a fizzy nu-soul coating and is heavily representative of the selections on her NTS Radio show. If you liked her first EP, this fine appearance on No Pain In Pop most certainly will not disappoint!

Review: Reckno drop an absolute clusterbomb with a vinyl edition of a collaboration between two of the most unique artists on their already jam-packed roster! The self-titled Skyler & Law sees Hamish Travis aka Kinlaw team up with Joane Skyler for an LP of beat-ridden, lo-fi electronics. There's a touch of everything in there, such as the jungle breaks surrounding the quirky melodies on the opener "Mini Boss Moon Base", or the broken house groove of "Higher Than 44", or even the slo-mo hip-hop vibes of "RIPE". These guys can conjure up just about anything, and it all sounds truly gorgeous as a final product. Be sure to check this as it comes warmly recommended.

Review: After moving on from his Al Tourettes alias and stepping into a new guise for his time with Houndstooth, Second Storey is now delivering his debut long player, and it's a devastating artistic statement that should firmly position him amongst the most daring bassweight producers out there. With the spirit of aqueous electro running through its veins, a techno forward-thrust and some truly psychedelic ideas about track progression and sound effects, a wondrous sound world is crafted with levels of detail that would make Amon Tobin quiver. From the saucer-eyed vision of "Shaman Champagne" to the epic saga of "The Overview Effects (Parts 1 & 2)" this is an album of staggering scope and fearsome invention.