Review: Seven years on from the release of his critically acclaimed debut album, Kevin McAuley has finally delivered a follow-up. Pleasingly, there's no grandiose conceptual theme or attempt to shoehorn in weaker tracks in a bid to showcase versatility; instead, McAuley has just done what he does best, namely delivering fearsome dancefloor workouts that blur the boundaries between techno, UK bass and the more warped and intense end of analogue house. Highlights come thick and fast throughout, from the wobble bass-propelled, warehouse-ready heat of 'Instillation' and the sub-heavy, post-UKG shuffle of 'Hole Away', to the heavy-stepping, R&B vocal-sampling breathlessness of 'If' and the big room-ready techno hypnotism of 'Changing Channels'. He even provides his own twisted take on uplifting trance via the brilliantly hectic and rushing 'Bad Lines'.
Review: Kevin McAuley is certainly affiliated with a generation of pioneering UK Bass producers who have since moved into the techno realm. With previous releases on Hemlock, Hessle Audio and Hotflush, his origins have definitely remained a strong aspect of his style ever since. On the In Drum Play LP, he can be heard dabbling in obtuse and disjointed low end theories such as on "Bulb In Zinc" or "Let It In" while there are some inventive takes on techno; such as on the dynamic opener "Rotor Soap" or the adrenalised stomper "More Is More To Burn". For us, the highlights were "One By One" (where his take on breakbeat techno would make the likes Shed or Stenny stand up and notice) and the oddball body basher "Skips Desk".
Review: Upon launching the Hadal label back in 2013, Pangaea described it as "a series of self-released records", rather than an imprint separate to the Hessle Audio operation founded with Ben UFO and Pearson Sound. Since, he's been as good as his word, using it to put out occasional 12" singles of his own. This third release in the series contains plenty of floor-friendly fare, beginning with the distorted, broken techno rhythms, druggy textures and intricate, chiming melodies of "Something In Your Eye". There's a more classic bruk feel to the heavy, dubwise swagger of "Stimulant Dub", while "New Shapes In The Air" skillfully combines a ludicrously weighty sub bassline with wonky electronics and metronomic techno rhythms. Finally, he closes proceedings with "They Buy Gold", a fittingly intense, acid-flecked techno stomper.
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