Peverelist & Hyetal – The Hum review
The output from Bristol (second home of dubstep, lest we forget) has been particularly impressive of late. There’s been Pinch’s “Boxer”, Gudio’s debut artist album Anidea and some great stuff from Komonazmuk, Appleblim and the Soul Motive camp. Amongst those leading the way, however, is Peverelist, aka Tom Ford, whose meticulous approach in everything from production to label management to A&R has meant he has become one of the key figures in Bristol’s dubstep scene and beyond. As the owner of Punch Drunk imprint he has been responsible for putting out records from the likes of Guido, RSD, Pinch, Shortstuff and Hyetal. This 12” sees the label boss teaming up with Hyetal, whose previous productions “Phoenix” and “Pixel Rainbow Sequence” have garnered huge attention from across the bass music fraternity.
Kicking off with “The Hum”, the contrast of the deep, murmuring hum of the b-line, percussive hiss and twinkling, dancing synthetic skittering of the melody is immediately striking. After a moment of doubt, where the two layers of sound are distinctly separate, it seems they accept their differences and move along in unison thereafter. The pattering drums and rippling swathes of synths which bathe the beats become more and more prominent as the track progresses. The influences and echoes are many, but it is hard to put your finger on exactly what each part reminds you of why, suffice to say that the sound is very much of that elusive “Bristol Sound”.
On the flip, “Rrrr” compliments its A-Side counterpart with a rather different flavour, but equally as impressive in terms of sonic quality. A bewildering intro paves the way for a more sparse, stripped back and intensely meditative piece. A swirling synth dies out to expose a creaky sound repeated with hollow, loping beat and gentle onomatopeiac rustlings embedded into the very fabric of the track. Textures are muffled and withdrawn, with intriguing whirring moments, rattling elements, neat blurs and bleepy arpeggios towards the end. It’s a contemplative venture all round here from Peverelist & Hyetal – hats off!
Belinda Rowse
