Kahn At Juno Download

Review: Soul Motive have always been representative of the current strains of Bristol's ever flourishing tapestry of music scenes so it makes perfect sense that the label would call on the Young Echo collective sooner or later. After some notable releases for fellow Bristol hubs Idle Hands and Punch Drunk, Kahn steps forth with another example of his undoubted talent for making music that spans the shades of the bass music spectrum with the rowdy yet soulful 2 step bump of "Angeles." This is Kahn in smooth mode, demonstrating his prowess at weaving vocals so that they form an integral part of the rhythm. Fellow Punch Drunk acolyte Superisk ensures it's an all Bristol affair with a remix that dampens the soulful nature in favour of something altogether darker.

Review: While dubstep continues to splinter into its myriad variations, from toe-curling pop to ear-splitting bangers and everything in between, it's reassuring to find a continued stream of producers interested in exploring the original space the genre occupied, where the evolutionary path is a much slower one. Kahn represents a strong case on his debut for Deep Medi, which is by and large a classicist approach to dubstep (as you might well expect for Mala's imprint). In his previous outings he has tackled a staggering range from synth heavy steppers, refined and modernist garage, to raucous grime and rootsy digi-dub. The incendiary vocal lick that kicks off "Dread" rasps and spits with the grit of 80s dancehall, instantly recalling the addictively unsettling grunts and groans of ragga MCs on the earliest jungle tracks. With some considered vocal assistance from Rider Shafique, "Late Night Blues" comes on startlingly stripped-back, fuelled by a crisp beat and soothing sub bass rumble. The glacial chord swell and distant clangs only serve to cool things even further, and once again the delay gets opened up to fire the drums off into the ether. It's a pristine turn, eschewing fireworks and shifting dynamics for a slow and steady twist-out, building up the feedback but never letting it run away from itself.

Review: Chameleonic Bristolian Kahn continues his peerless run of releases with a killer self-titled release for the Blackbox label that's filed alongside his Deep Medi and Hotline transmissions in our affections. The immediate standout track is undoubtedly "Badman City" which features the incomparable vocals of Flowdan, the Bug collaborator who was sampled on Kahn & Neek's superb "Percy". Whilst Flowdan's delivery on that Bandulu cut was lifted roughly from his barrelling live MCing, here he's in notably more menacing form. Rider Shafique and fellow Young Echo acolyte Jabu also provide vocals with the latter's delivery on "Snake Eyes" sounding somewhat akin to Tricky aping Mike Skinner. A bold release from one of the UK's most impressive talents.

Review: Coming soon after the 'Worth The Weight: Bristol Dubstep Classics' compilation, new Punch Drunk signing, 22-year old Joe McGann aka Kahn makes his debut on Peverelist's home grown imprint. "Like We Used To" starts with a gorgeous, warm, warping synth line, clipped, snarling beats and lustrous vocals, which are chopped up and rearranged James Blake style. Continuing on, delicate drums are paired with rolling subs, at times rather reminiscent of Scuba's "Three Sided Shape" and perhaps more strikingly of Sepalcure's recently released Fleur EP. The mellifluous melodies Kahn carves out here are at once charming and compelling. This is not to undermine "Helter Skelter", of course, which is an equally excellent slice of musical sunshine over on the flipside. Here, colourful swathes of synths - like a more chilled out Night Slugs release - dance mischievously around deep, dubbed out bass, whilst tense synth chords simply bristling with energy pepper the piece. Expect big things from Kahn in the future.

Review: As one of the most active members of the Young Echo collective, Kahn has already revealed a sizable spread of styles in his output, and this latest emission for Idle Hands flips the script once again. It's an emotive and linear place we find Kahn in on "Margeaux Pt 1", as a bouncy 2-step beat and chirpy bassline get offset by dense layers of heavily treated vocal from Kahn himself, creating a pastoral kind of vibe as the end result. Meanwhile "Margeaux Pt 2" spaces things out with a more jagged beat and a brooding bottom end, while obviously continuing the theme found on Part 1.