Scuba At Juno Download

Review: This EP is the first material from Paul Rose in his Scuba guise since last year's Triangulation, and it's likely to surprise a lot of people with its direction. It seems to mark Scuba's acceptance of the slower house tempos which he flirted with in Triangulation, and has been experimenting with further under the SCB alias. "Adrenalin" is in much the same vein as his excellent "Loss" released earlier this year on Aus; a clattering kick and simple bassline give way to a vocal which slowly reveals itself amidst moody pads. It's unashamedly euphoric, and it works. "Never" meanwhile is like a Berghain take on 90s UK garage, as a snappy 2-step rhythm and pitched vocals collides with emotive synth strings. Finally, "Everywhere" is the biggest surprise; undoubtedly the most colourful thing that Rose has produced, it takes a less big room approach from the other tracks, instead taking an 80s pop sensibility and marrying it with Rose's approach to rhythm. Possibly one of the most unexpected reinventions of the year.

Review: Whatever your opinion of Scuba's divisive album Personality, there's no denying that "NE1BUTU" was one of the album's brightest moments. Taking a punchy breakbeat and upbeat piano riff, the track is Paul Rose's love letter to pretty much everything great about every dance track from the 90s. Those that wish the producer would return to his darker ways however, can take comfort in the accompanying remix, in which Rose dons his SCB hat and turns it into a lean techno tool that cloaks the original's colour in shades of grey, creating one of his most incisive club tracks to date.

Review: Where Scuba's earlier work was typified by the same metallic sheen and monochrome hue, it's noticeable on his third album Personality just how much more colour he's letting into the mix. Whether it's the crisp electro breaks of opener "Ignition Key" or the joyous pop chimes of "July", the mood is overall far sunnier than the Scuba of before. There's drum & bass explorations being made on "Cognitive Dissonance", chart-baiting hooks aplenty and a wealth of vocal action from speeches to divas. All in all it's another essential, multi-faceted evolutionary step for the Berlin-based producer.

Review: There's little doubt that a few people will be getting a bit hot under the collar about this latest warehouse-friendly missive from the progressively more house/techno inclined Scuba. Beginning with tough analogue drums, "Talk Torque" quickly develops into a saucer-eyed mix of fluid synths, hands-in-the-air builds, killer drops and suitably touchy-feely vintage vocal samples. While he's arguably done better, there's no doubt that "Talk Torque" is particularly big. If you're in need of a fresh warehouse anthem, look no further.

Review: In something of a surprise link up after the poppy strains of his latest album, Scuba has turned to the emerging talents of Recondite. Already known for his deeply atmospheric cuts full of intricate melodic nuances, his two versions of "The Hope" continue that theme with little more than a treatment of the vocal to align it to the originals. The "Nocturnal Car Ride" mix is a restrained workout that keeps the hits light and gentle while a mournful pad steers the story Recondite wants to share with us. The "Morning Promenade" mix is only barely more pumped up, with the same leaning towards space and self-control as it's counterpart remix.

Review: Ahead of his third album dropping later this year, Scuba dangles a carrot for all avid followers of the Hotflush sound in the shape of this two-track twelve which beguiles as much as it does satisfy. Lead track "The Hope" finds Scuba in party-rocking mode with a solid breaks backbone and a slightly pitched down vocal engineered for maximum rave hysteria. On the flip and exclusive to the vinyl, "Flash Addict" sees him further exploring the 4/4 boundaries with a streamlined techno cut that harks back to the first SCB output; dark and intense.

Review: Paul Rose AKA Scuba has seen his Hotflush imprint climb to revered recognition over the last year or so. Releasing seminal dubstep artefacts such as Joy Orbison's Hyph Mngo and Mount Kimbie?s Maybes pulled in huge attention for the label, despite owner Rose's debut album from the year before receiving less attention. A Mutual Antipathy is only now receiving the accolades it deserved through serving as a both a building block of the label and a marker for his new album, Triangulation.

Blurring the lines of dubstep, techno, trip-hop and electronic, Scuba provides one of the truest dubstep crossovers to date with his second full length. Now residing in Berlin, where he is a monthly resident for Sub:stance in the mighty and cavernous Berghain club, the influence of the city's deep seeded techno and dub subcultures make themselves much clearer in this follow up. Tracks like "On Deck" and "Tracers" owe much to the refined, dubby techno of Berlin as does the cold mechanical feel of "Heavy Machinery" before the wide sub bass of "You Got Me" opens up the rest of the album, allowing Rose to push the tempo that bit further. Before then, we see much of the sound that still signatures this as a Scuba record. Tracks like the spooky garage of "Latch" and the juttering "Three Sided Shape" cry back to the feel of two step and half tempo drum and bass. There are also moments of relief, such as "So You Think You're Special" and "Before" which both make use of female vocals in dub sounding trip-hop numbers.

Triangulation is a charming album that soaks influence and inspiration from across the board. Wonderfully unique and crafted with expert skill, it is the most comprehensive dub crossover offering so far. Surely now, Scuba will begin to demand the same kind of attention as the other artists on his own label.