Hodge At Juno Download

Review: Bristol's fresh-faced house progenitor Jacob Martin spreads his wings on this EP, making a clear distinction from the more laconic Outboxx material he jointly creates. There's a refreshing rudeness at work on the sub of "Tonda", while the drum programming comes in at nifty angles without ever peaking too far away from the moodiness of the outset. Likewise "Dusted" is a po-faced exercise in bass placement and minimal distractions, using the tails of select sounds to feed into a taut atmosphere in a style reminiscent of Kowton, the chosen remixer for this single. "Turmoil" in its original form does the nasty with some micro house chops re-contextualised amidst a rolling broken beat, while Kowton does the damage by focusing on a mammoth kick note and then feeding nervy strings into the mix.

Review: As part of Bristol's Outboxx, Jacob Martin is no stranger to the unique style of house that is now part of the city's DNA. But while his work as part of that production duo comes from an angle that is undeniably driven by a classic Chicago template, his solo work as Hodge applies a 2-step structure to the same brushed, vintage sounds. Like his contemporary Hackman, it's a melodically lighter take on the genre - "The Fall", despite its name, is a summery slice of swung percussion and funk infused textures which at times recalls Space Dimension Controller's intergalactic timbres. "Crush" meanwhile positively snaps with its whipcrack percussion, whilst offering a more grounded experience with its squidgy bassline, which is momentarily sent skywards on a drifting chord. Another name to add to Bristol's already bursting list of talent.