Review: It's always a thrill to unearth a brand new selection from the Tectonic team, who here have got busy delivering a spicy new four track collection from the unstoppable Lamont, who most certainly doesn't disappoint us. We kick off with the title track 'Hold Dat', an industrial post-dubstep warbler, infused with unpredictable drum slaps and lush sub designs below to bring us a truly original intro. From here we take a more rhythmic route as 'Push' delivers an eerie combination of metallic percussion and haunted vocal sampling, before the post funky tom pushes of 'Brain' switches the vibe completely. Finally, the moody half-time drum slams of 'Open Letter' brings the EP to a close, having showcased an incredibly wide-range of electronic music themes. Awesome!
Review: At this point, whenever we see Pinch's name appear on a forthcoming list we buckle in for a long, explorative ride into the science of sound, with this latest album on Tectonic entitled 'Reality Tunnels' being exactly what the doctor ordered. Over the course of 10 stunning originals, we see Pinch flex his veteran production muscles with some of the most interesting and original creations we have heard this year, from the post-jungle designs of 'Entangled Particles' alongside Emika, to the space-age soundscaping of 'Back To Beyond' and post-dubstep marches of 'Returnity'. For us there are a pair of clear highlights, with the haunting vocals of 'Inezi' on 'Change Is A Must' sending shivers down our spines, alongside Killa P's war-ready vocal additions on 'Party'. Amazing work.
Review: Following his inclusion on Tectonic's landmark 100th release - Riko Dan's 'Hard Food' EP, Sam Walton presents a full length for them. Of all the dubplates in label boss Pinch's record bag over the last few years, the ones that he has selected the most often have Walton's name scribbled on the sleeve apparently. A unique creative statement by the young Mancunian producer, Pinch is very proud to release Black Lotus: which is evident of the 26 year old's 'true talent.
Review: An instigator returns: Tectonic bossman lays down a sweet-shuffling garage-minded drum arrangement with more than enough space for Rico Dan to do his damage. Wait for the bass to really rip mid-way. As Rico says himself "original badboy business". "No Justice" brings up the rear. A scratchy, spatially dizzying stepper coded with all manner of spooked out designs, it's clear Pinch is in his element right now... Long may this continue.
Review: Boof! The Pinch man himself returns to his own Tectonic stable and he's joined by Mumdance and Logos. All three bass heads have collaborated on Tectonic before, all with stunning results, so it's a pleasure to see them back in action. Up first is "Double Barrelled Mitzi", a dark and cavernous pseudo house bullet of a refix of Pinch and Mumdance killer "Turbo Mitzi" boasting a flurry of deranged sonics and deep, sweltering shots of low-end - a true hybrid tune in the label's familiar style. Pinch himself turns in a VIP mix of the Mumdance & Logos cut "Legion", a tribal war dance powered by broken shreds of percussion and deep waves of bass. Heavy duty stuff.
Review: After spending much time linking up on the likes of Keysound and Tectonic, two of the sprightliest minds in the contemporary grime-infected bass swells of the UK scene consummate their partnership with this heavyweight long player. With that unclassifiable flair that has marked out so many worthy producers in recent times, the spirits of rave, techno, dubstep and much more all equally feed into the tracks, from the Beltram-baiting heat of "Dance Energy (89 Mix)" to the nail-biting pressure of "Chaos Engine". If you want to test the temperature of where the most upfront club music is headed, then Mumdance and Logos are more than qualified to give you the lowdown.
Review: Roska releasing dark music is not a new phenomenon, but this belated return to Tectonic - his first solo material for Pinch's lauded label for three years - is particularly bleak and paranoid. Lead cut "Hyperion" is particularly dark, with dubstep style effects and cymbal hits riding a pulsating and sub-rattling, if stripped down, 120 BPM techno groove. In contrast, the moody but sprightly shuffler "Off" is positively cheery in comparison, with more of the UK funky influence Roska made his name with. The EP's two dominant approaches - funky and techno - come together on closer "Only Human", which fixes a surging, head-cracking electronic bassline to an expertly-programmed broken techno rhythm.
Review: Rapidly ripping it up with a mission to bring some proper dread back to the convoluted hinterland around what used to be dubstep, Beneath has been showing some deadly skill on No Symbols and Keysound, and now he gets snapped up by Pinch to bring it on home to the perfect label for such deadly accuracy, Tectonic. "Duty" wastes no time in whipping into a low slung 4/4 roll defined by a gut-wrenching bottom end while all manner of panic-inducing industrial textures come slamming in around it. Far from the monochrome results so many achieve with such a sound palette, there is a serious dynamism in the rhythm Beneath creates, only built upon with "Texers" as dystopian whiffs of melody try to enter the fray in a more whip-cracking broken beat template.
Review: Unveiling a new moniker, DJG steps up with a smart two-tracker which continues Tectonic's careful steering towards a potential future for dubstep. "Uncertain" already received an airing on label boss Pinch's recent Fabric mix, and it sounds pristine in its solitary form, as mammoth chord stabs follow an equally hefty bassline. The vibe starts off darkside and blossoms into rich textures, positively sunnier in its outlook than first impressions may have suggested. "Vendetta" lives up to the sinister promise of its opening tones, riding a similar bumping groove but keeping the melodics to a minimum so that the edgy rhythm section can do its thing.
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