Artifact At Juno Download

Review: The fledgling Deadplate label delivers another fantastic EP of bass-heavy post-everything music. This time round it's the fresh garage-infused house sound of Artefact that gets an airing, already championed by the likes of Mary Anne Hobbs and Dark Sky. "Archaic Line" showcases his knack for clattering Blawan-esque percussion, offset by an atmospheric haze of foggy chords. "Deserted" meanwhile is characterised by its deep, resonating bassline, and stretched out synths which sound like a bleaker, more greyed-out take on eski grime. Topping it off is a remix of the title track from hotly-tipped young producer Graphics, who turns the hesitant, stuttering original into a straightened out house monster, complete with deep melody and bass that turns the track into a tune going to present-day London via 80s Chicago. Incredible stuff, and certainly marks Artefact and Deadplate out as artist and label to watch in 2012.

Review: Having already delivered some attention-grabbing techy UKF bombs on Deadplate and Rebirth, Bristol's Ryan Bronfield now finds himself on esteemed imprint Some Think Sounds. In keeping with the label's style, "The Way It Do" is housier: deep and sensual without being boring, and full of quirky, off kilter percussive elements and effects. "We Trapped" is deeper and weirder: sounding like the wheels could fall off this disco bus at anytime, and all the more fun because of it. Damu also remixes the title track in a dark techno fashion that wouldn't be out of place in a vintage DJ Hell set.

Review: Having already marked himself out as a producer to keep an eye on with his EP for Deadplate early this year, Artifact moves to Local Action for another EP of swung UKG influenced techno. Two of these tracks are refined versions of tracks that have been in Local Action sets for the past few years; "Worn" combines a strong but lean rhythm with a wonky acid-tinged bassline, building up the drama with its rising strings to create a unique hybrid of techno and UKG, in the vein of Mosca's killer cuts for 3024, while "Turtle Fight" takes the acid theme full throttle with its combination of fierce squelch and rapidfire vocals. Finally, new track "Drain" combines the atmospherics and vocal trickery of early Joy Orbison with metallic, industrial percussion and warbling sub-bass.