Review: In case you're new to this drum & bass malarky, or you've been asleep for the last 30 years, when it comes to D&B albums then Metalheadz is one of the best. Dealing strictly in journeys, adventures and detailed peaks into the artists' psyche, they're built to last and work well on both dancefloors and on headphones / at home. Take Phase's long-awaited debut here. Following opuses from the like of Mikal, Blocks & Escher and Agzilla, the Belgian talent whips up a creative storm that ranges from the hard rave KOs of 'Stress Out' to the wonderful ambient bliss of 'Flowstone' and back again. Essential.
Review: Last spotted on Headz with Villem for "The Traveller" EP, Belgian rising talent Phase gets his first solo EP on the mothership imprint and he's gone to town on the EP. "Malice" lives up to its name with a layers of toxic acid bass and a riff that sounds straight out of a mid 90s F.A.C.T-era Carl Cox set, "Stakes", meanwhile rolls out on a rare, trembling, barbed and paranoid vibe where the pads do all the destruction; red planet exploration business, this is really is marvellously moody. Deeper again we're plunged into the darkest of tunnels with a subtle symphonic touch on "Unground" while Zero T joins for the finale with the creeped-out "The Inbetween". Unhurried in its menace, it doesn't even kick in until a minute and half deep - just the way we like it. With "Stakes" as well done as these, we suspect Phase will be cooking at the Headz kitchen again very soon.
Review: More often spotted cooking up sickness stews with McLeod, Villem tag teams with Belgian deepsmith Phase. The result is every bit as spotless, crisp and alluring as you want it to be. Soulful but barbed with the right balance of darkness, each cut trembles but punches: Steo adds emotional sparkles to "Thru My Soul", "The Traveller" soothes with K&D era pads before dropping into a Break-style elastic bass groove while "Kaikol" plays the cosmic card with its mystic instruments and drawn out notes. Of course McLeod shows his face too. And he does so on the beautiful "Reap What You Sow" where absolute bliss drops into total jungle dungeonism.
Review: Young Belgian Phase makes his Warm Comms debut with three tracks that belie his 20 years on the planet... "A Different Space" takes you back to early Critical cuts thanks to its uptempo step arrangement, two note drone bass and timestretched amens on the fills. "Sunrise Technology" takes a Klute-strength telescope to see further into the cosmos while "Eternal Truth" brings us back to planet earth with a dreamier melodic structure, cymbal-splashing jungle breaks and a sub that bounces harder than a politician's promises. Serious heat for a new producer.
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