Numan At Juno Download

Review: 18 year old Manchester producer Numan dropped his second EP, "Skull Crusher" earlier in the year. Now, Philedelphia?s Slit Jockey Records release a remix package of the heavy dubstep cut that rocked dancefloors the world over.

The young Mancunian arrived onto the scene with a bang following his debut release on Licky Windows. "7th Key" brought him to the attention of some big and influential names that have helped him develop further as his career goes on. January saw the release of his second EP, "Skull Crusher" which was an even bigger hit, captivating dance halls everywhere. In an attempt to capitalise on the impact the record has made, Slit Jockey have decided to release the original alongside three remixes from Bombaman, CapricornOne and M80 Dubstation.

First up we get Numan's original effort. Beginning with atmospheric, echo-chamber synths and machine like percussive dashes, the track ruptures into glitchy distorted synth stabs, buzzing bass and distinct dupstep beat. The breakdown is pure dubstep freak out, perfect for the sending the rave into overdrive. The first remix comes from Canadian Bombaman whose more light hearted wiggled out version seems to draw on electro as much as it does dubstep. A serene breakdown comes in but is soon swapped for the craziness of before. The CapricornOne remix works dark and angst ridden lyrics over Numan?s sultry atmospherics. It is big and grimey, giving a completely new dimension to the track without changing the music much at all. M80 Dubstation complete the release by totally flipping out on their version of "Skull Crusher." Adjusting the speed and adding synth squiggles and flashes of bass, this track is truly an assault on the ears.

As Numan continues to develop as an important artist, a new trio of remixes come in to highlight his influence. Stretching the original in completely different ways, these versions all add to what was already a track of some distinction.