Dubstep 7 Items

Record has a few scuffs and hairlines.

DJ Rashad / Djunya / DJ Spinn / DJ Earl / Quarta 330 / Champion/ Ikonika etc.

The second of the Decadub vinyl-only releases dedicates three of its four sides to a volley of woozy and twisted footwork from most of the key members of Chicago's Teklife crew. Side One starts with DJ Rashad and Gant Man's squiggly 303 banger 'Acid Life' and moves onto Taso & Djunya's Darwinian banger 'Only The Strong Will Survive'. Side Two descends into DJ Spinn's bombastic 'All My Teklife' and then Earl, Rashad & Taye's 'Bombaklot' which takes Hyperdub full circle with a yardcore bomb like a 2014 upgrade of the label's early days. Side Three leads with DJ Earl's immaculate diva vocal cut-up of 'I'm Gonna Get You', then moves on into DJ Taye's fizzling R&B jam 'Get Em Up’ and the stone cold, warped humour of 'Icemaster' by Heavee. On the fourth and final side, Tokyo-based ally Quarta330 returns to craft ‘Hanabi’, an epic, uptempo synthesiser jam. Young gun Champion follows with ‘Power Cut’, its minimal, energetic and militant kicks and bass molded with cowbell and lots of tight edits, before dropping some neat keys and a warping bassline two thirds in. Ikonika finishes things off with the solemn march of 'Tug Zone', opening slow but building in flickering high hats and gaseous cymbals into a track which could have emanated from Battlestar Galactica.

Somewhere between House, Detroit Techno & Bass, Martyn comes through strong with a little help from Four Tet & Inga Copeland!

Mesck fuses another cog in the label’s machinery, giving Chestplate one more flavor while sticking to the no-nonsense frequency construction that has characterized Chestplate’s aesthetic. The EP offers a cohesive journey through vibrant dynamics, rolling out with the hollowed kick patterns and ominous underscoring of Conquista. Collusion slows the momentum with more minimal percussion, leaving plenty of space for the labyrinth of subtle detail commandeering the atmosphere. A bongo-driven plane of chambered flux transitions the mood as Arcane Glimpse enthralls the soundfield with guttural and interchanging reese patches. Mesck sends us off in Lucid Form with a beat that deploys hefty swing while discombobulating the senses as voices hop left-to-right in the scape.