Tessela At Juno Download

Review: Having previously impressed with a single for Dublin's All City last year, Tessela's effort for Peverelist's Punch Drunk is simply one of the heaviest things you'll hear this year. The primary feeling given off by "Channel" as it whips into life is one of chunkiness. The synths slam like weighty percussion, while the box-jam beats snap and crack with an MPC kind of funk that it's hard to achieve through simple quantizing. The sound space that Tessela occupies is certainly a brave one, as it neglects to pander to notions of mixability and consistency, darting around in impulsive flurries of snare rushes, madcap sampling and slowly mutating melodic phrases. On "D Jane" the lead-in holds back on a relatively steady groove (albeit populated by a delirium of samples), only to jerk into the main section on a completely different swing so as to pull your ass in the opposite direction.

Review: With two immensely strong singles under his belt already, Tessela pops up on 2nd Drop to further establish his mongrel sound. While the edges are utterly jagged and ever-shifting, there's still something very playable about "Darlene, Please", not least due to the core synth at work in the middle of the melee. "Let Up" is full of slick junglist moves, especially in the crafty way Tessela drops half the track out of the end of each bar in a move that leaves you gasping for the next kick. Once again both tracks smack the competition sharp upside the head.

Review: Tessela has been one of the multi-headed UK bass scene's most interesting talents since he first appeared in 2011; following in the footsteps of many of his peers he's started a new label entitled as Poly Kicks, and this first release comes from the producer himself, featuring a track that shows a clear development of his signature sub-heavy sound that references classic breakbeat and jungle. "Hackney Parrot" has been much anticipated since it appeared via a Jackmaster and Loefah Boiler Room session last November, and is characterised by its stuttering vocal and tunnelling subs, guaranteed to cause dancefloor confusion and mayhem in equal measure.

Review: Stepping up with some swinging goodness for the ever-strong All City, Tessela makes a strong statement with his first EP proper. "Slugger" takes the glory with a madcap sampling aesthetic that comes on like Jacob London, comical but also perfectly pitched to avoid being mere novelty. It's a dark and raw affair full of inventive chops and edits. "Subway" gets no less nutty, even if the bass pins everything down, while "Push" buffs out the edges with some Detroit stabs. Wherever you turn your ears there's a fearless action taking place, which promises big things for the future.