Mosca – Done Me Wrong review

Jaded journalists, musicians and scene hipsters alike might make the mistake of reducing this release to the tired cliché of “not re-inventing the wheel”. While it may be true that both “Done Me Wrong” and B-Side “Bax” are modern re-imaginings of the pirate radio based 90s UK Garage/2-Step scene, they feel incredibly fresh and vital.

Mosca had the first release in Square One on arguably one of the most daring of dubstep/bass music related labels, Night Slugs. This release is less innovative, but more dancefloor ready. Like most people I first heard “Bax” on a Rinse FM ripped YouTube video, and I ended up dancing and fist-pumping around my desk. A youthful, jittery skipping beat is used as a vehicle for a wickedly bouncy organ and an oft repeated main melody plus the pre-requisite chopped vocals. At one minute the bass (same melody) sits right on your head like a fat man trying to subdue you. This song is fucking heavy.

“Done Me Wrong”, with its built in rewind, chopped R&B vocals, Jamaican upstroke and chimes works as the poppier of the two. No less strong than “Bax”, it evokes kicking around London on a cloudy but warm day (even ending the song with the night time crickets chirping). Reduced, repetitive, mindful of the past, but decidedly current, this EP proves Mosca’s mettle. No sophomore slump (yes this is only his second release of original material), Done Me Wrong is a big win for both him and Numbers.

Pablo Roman-Alcala