23rd November 2009 Releases

DUSK + BLACKDOWN
v GRIEVOUS ANGEL
Margins Music : Redux
Keysound CD
(LDN 014)





"The album is part remix LP, part DJ set part dub rework. In late 2007 and early 08 we became enthralled by Grievous Angel’s Ableton mixes that blurred the lines between DJing and remixing. We offered him the parts to every track on “Margins Music” and told him to mutate its DNA." Martin Clark (Blackdown)

"For me Blackdown and Dusk were always crucial dubstep artists. They deliver tunes that simultaneously hit you in the chest, the feet and the head and I listened to Margins Music for months; I loved the way that it was smart, supple music that had real depth, but which would also go off in a club. It fused dubstep with many of London's newly-indigenous musics, without being mere cultural tourism, venturing into London's marginal communities and working with other artists. Including, of course, rebuilding the bridge between dubstep and grime - and not just with any old MC, but with the most vital figures on the scene. And then I got the call. They wanted me to remix the entire album. They were fans of the Dubstep Sufferah series of mixes, where I re-edited and dubbed-up all different kinds of dubstep tunes with extra FX and vocals. The Sufferah series was popular because it provided a widescreen listening experience that most standard DJ mixes didn't offer. Plus, my first album, Belief is the Enemy, was a double CD, with a mix CD called 'Believe in Dub' that was more popular than the main album. I love rough, fast, live DJ mixing, but I wanted to do something different, with a lot of depth and replay value. I was influenced by albums that gave you a whole sonic world to get lost in, such as the classic dub albums of the 70s, like [Joe Gibbs and Errol Thompson's) African Dub Chapter Three , the cut and paste techniques of Coldcut's Journeys By DJ CD, Bill Laswell's dub remixes of Miles Davis on the Panthalassa album and the symphonic, endless soul of Marvin Gaye's What's Going On. I see Margins Music as a travelogue through London's postcodes and timezones and I wanted to bring out the mythical, narrative element of the songs. Blackdown and Dusk captured London's genius loci almost perfectly; my job was to amplify and concentrate it. London is a universal city, both concrete and symbolic, whose accretions of psycho-geography constrain and liberate the multiple diaspora that comprise its population. I grew up in London and happily exiled myself, but it is impossible to ever truly leave; London is a state of mind and an addictive stimulant. As Trim quotes so eloquently, "it's a London ting". I hope that you are as transported by the Dusk and Blackdown's vision of London as I was." Paul Meme (Grievous Angel)


PINCH Get Up
1. Original Vocal Mix
2. RSD Mix
3. Guido Mix
4. Jack Sparrow Mix
5. L.V. Mix
6. Original Full Length Instrumental Version
Tectonic CD EP (TECCD 007EP)

'Pinch does the right thing, as 2009 reaches a resounding conclusion for Tectonic. Ever since 'Underwater Dancehall' appeared, we have been inundated with requests for the Yolanda vocal version of "Get Up" to come out on wax. This year has seen dubstep endlessly reinvent and reflect ten years and more of UK bass culture - the anthemic quality of the original still stands more relevant than ever. Never one to do things by halves, Pinch has used the interim period wisely, securing the remix services of the finest producers out there. 'RSD has had a fantastic 2009 - rocking shores stateside to Japan and at long last receiving due acclaim for his central role in shaping the Bristol sound. With his latest album for Peverelist's excellent Punch Drunk still fresh in the racks - Rob Smith delivers a production master class, which has already been ruining audiences on dubplate - 2562 for one has been closing every set with this surefire killer. Also originating from pastures Punch Drunk, Guido has been readily grouped with Joker and Gemmy as one of the Purple wow new breed, here he brings an astonishing version and shows himself to be his own man - by turns luxuriant and yet pared back to its limber essentials - incorporating deep synth-funk and garage styles whilst still revealing a sizeable low-end all underpinning a show stopping arrangement of futuristic soul. Jack Sparrow warms up with an early taste of the recent production form which has prompted Pinch to request a full Tectonic album from him in 2010 - fabulous-low slung killer vibes, a subtle and deeply meditative, thoughtful version primed for deeper dancefloors with a huge deep funk coda to explore on the boards. Hyperdub / 2nd Drop / Hemlock / Ramp operative L.V. brings the soulful vibes to an apex - his easy moving, open form disco mix is reminiscent of classic Sly & Robbie Compass Point sides with Grace Jones - in a word, timeless. An indisputable classic tune in optimum versions - treasure them and play loud!!'


UNKNOWN
A. The Dawn
AA. Dawn Dub
Seth 12"
(SETH 01)






'Wonderful steppers versions from a shy and unnamed producer. We suspect, going on the considerable production chops on display here, that this is the moonlight work of a rather well known producer. Maximum rollidge with a sustained bass surge to warm up the biggest speaker sets, make no mistake this is a roving percussive beauty, blessed with discrete angelic vocals, flip for a precision dub of considerable restraint and singular power - fiercely limited so do not hang around!'


ORIGAMI PRODUCTIONS
Laidbook 01: Beginning
Origami CD/10x Art Cards
(OPCA 1002)

16th November 2009 Releases

RAFAEL ANTON IRISARRI
Daydreaming
Miasmah LP (MIALP004)

Limited edition coloured vinyl edition

'Championed by the likes of David Sylvian and Thom Yorke, 'Daydreaming' is the stunning debut album from Seattle's Rafael Anton Irisarri. Originally released in 2007 on Erik Skodvin's Miasmah label, to great critical acclaim, 'Daydreaming' is a collection of piano led instrumental compositions of astonishing beauty. 'Daydreaming' sounds like a record written for piano, but it also incorporates an array of modern sound sources in its production. As the drifting synthesizers lap around the feet of a majestic piano part in the album's opening track 'Waking Expectations ' it is startlingly clear that there is more to Irisarri than mere stereotyping. This is a carefully constructed soundtrack to your most intriguing dreams, the dreams you might remember for a split second upon waking, only to have images creep up on you some time later. Those of you left spellbound by Deaf Center's haunting and beautiful 'Pale Ravine' album will be pleased to know that 'Daydreaming' continues in the tradition of murky, theatrical and deeply imaginative music. Lines of comparison can be drawn between Irisarri's compositional approach and the work of artists as varied as Machinefabriek, Peter Broderick and Mogwai. For more recent fans discovering the Miasmah label, which boasts a roster of incredible acts including Jacaszek, Kreng, Greg Haines, Jasper TX and Elegi, 'Daydreaming' offers another chance to discover a highlight release from the label's earlier days. Irisarri has just returned from a seven week tour of Europe under the guise of his other project 'The Sight Below', touring and performing with Simon Scott (who's debut album 'Navigare' due October, Irisarri guests on), Svarte Griener, and more. '


KEVIN GORMAN
A1 Cyclic (Peter Van Hoesen Remix)
A2 Shakey Stripped
B1 Nearly (MLZ Remix)
B2 Shakey Metallic Beats
Mikrowave 12" (MWAVE 12)

'Mikrowave returns with a new release for the groovers, DJs and vinyl purists. 2009 has seen fellow Mancunian Kevin Gorman mainly concerned with his innovative Elements series of DJ and production tools. And so it seems fitting to end the year in this way - simply putting out a splendid record. It enlists two of the world's hottest, most forward-thinking and respected electronic music producers around right now, Peter Van Hoesen and MLZ, who should really need no further introduction or recommendation - essential twelve - fierce limited to 300 copies for the world.'

9th November 2009 Releases

KATH BLOOM & LOREN CONNORS
Restless Faithful Desperate/Moonlight
Chapter Music 2CD
(CH 065)

'Restless Faithful Desperate / Moonlight is the second of Chapter Music's double disc reissues by extraordinary early-'80s folk duo Kath Bloom and Loren Connors. Meeting in 1976 in their hometown of New Haven, CT, Kath Bloom and Loren Connors formed a creative partnership that has haunted psych-folk fans ever since, releasing six albums of fragile, avant-garde folk-blues in miniscule quantities, all of which now change hands for huge sums. At first, Kath would act out monologues while Loren played his free-form guitar, extrapolated from Mississippi Delta and Chicago blues, but gradually he and Kath's performances became more song-based. Kath began
practicing guitar among the headstones of New Haven's Grove Street cemetery, while Loren's idiosyncratic style had been developing since the 1960s. After self-releasing two limited edition live albums, the duo recorded Sing The Children Over for tiny Boston label Ambiguous Records in 1982, and then in 1983, self-released fourth album Sand In My Shoe. Early on, their albums mixed traditional folk and blues songs with a handful of Kath's vulnerable, moving originals. But by the later albums, the songs were all Kath's -- her fragile voice and subdued finger-picked guitar set against Loren's abstract playing: skittering, sometimes atonal but always intuitively supportive.

Together the duo created a sound almost impossibly emotional and haunting, unlike anything created before or since. Their last two albums Restless Faithful Desperate and Moonlight both emerged in 1984, in editions of 200-300 copies on Loren's St. Joan label. As her creativity accelerated, so Kath's songs became looser, more intuitive, with a darkening of tone and an eventual abandonment of intent to shape the music. The songs were still there, however -- Restless... contains one of her most gorgeous compositions, "Look At Me," while Moonlight includes an early version of Kath's signature tune "Come Here." After a quarter of a century, Kath Bloom and Loren Connors' incredible recordings are finally available again. The reissue includes extensive liner notes, original photos and artwork, and six bonus tracks taken from a rare 1982 compilation and an unreleased 1984 live session.'


GDX/AURA ANTHROPICA
Want You/Drummondii
Phlox 12"
(PHLOX 001)

'Austria and in particular Vienna finds itself the focus for new and creative sounds - Phlox is a fascinating imprint promising dubstep, plentiful low-end and an intoxicating blend we can only describe as neuro-garage. A new label, a new identity - and a refreshing music policy - simply that they don't actually have a music policy. Aura Anthropica is a new dubwise guise for Hans Platzgumer, sometimes known as Spezial Material's H.P.Stonji and now flourishing within the terrain of heavy low-end sounds - the bass weight and palette of 'Drummondii' prove enticing and forbidding. It's a dark and brooding bass monster - almost a scene score with synth colour touches and some edgy paint to add to the tension and the hostility. Mysterious, mystifying and very heavy, the tune is deliberately deliciously slow and deep as...GDX is Gerhard Potuznik aka GD Luxxe, an undercover exponent of the true European underground for many years, you only need to check his classic Cheap productions for ample evidence of his considerable talents. He takes control for a bubbling freestyle-friendly 2-stepper 'Want You', incorporating some tasty '99 style UKG moves - trimmed back with precision production skills and ample bouyant boogie. Shoes only admitted: no tracksuits, no trainers. Very neat indeed.'


BOY WONDER
Almighty Warrior
Project Funk 12"
(PFR 001)

'Back in the late 80s Kevin 'Boy Wonder' Harper helped launch a whole new sound and a whole new scene in UK dance music with his involvement in the original Nightmares On Wax line-up. On this new 12" it's like he's been holed-up in a studio since the release of classic 'Bleep' techno tune "Dextrous" (the second ever release on Sheffield's Warp imprint), emerging to absorb a few influences from dubstep and the like along the way. With Warp celebrating their 20th birthday, and all things 'rave' having a major impact on the dancefloor right now, this EP has arrived at just the right time - check it out!'

HUGO RACE
Between Hemispheres
Gusstaff CD
(GRAM 0905CD)

'Setting aside Hugo's past with the Melbourne post-punk scene and the Bad Seeds in the eighties, and his solo work in the nineties with the True Spirit collective, over the last decade he has continued to release a steady stream of his songs internationally as well as releasing collaborative projects such as Dirtmusic, Sepiatone, Merola Matrix and Transfargo to an expanding global audience.

Taking its cue from the instrumental electronica of We Create Tomorrow (Reprise), the closing track of 2007's '53rd State' album, comes the new Hugo Race release 'Between Hemispheres'. This instrumental album contains no human voices - instead, raw acoustic instruments are pitted against sculpted analogue sounds in a vast organic space both dramatic and meditative, brutal yet beautiful. Here the delta blues remains - but distantly, like background radiation.

Recorded in Africa, Europe and Australia, Between Hemispheres carries references to Hugo's work with Transfargo (the instrumental 'Mil Transit' album from 2004), and the experimentalism of the True Spirit's 'Wet Dream' and 'Ambuscado'. Using the African string instruments ngoni and kora against a stark background of analogue synth, digital pulses, deep space radio signals and widescreen guitar, Race composes a dreamlike experience that echoes his own songwriting.

A trip into the glacial interstices between quantum and digital, these inter- dimensional meditations traverse the synapses between left and right sides of the brain, between thought and expression, between two oscillating magnetic poles - between hemispheres.'

10

Ten years ago today Baked Goods Distribution dispatched its first order. Watch out for a large number of different tenth birthday celebrations we have planned for the course of the next twelve months - we're incredibly excited, to say the least. It's been an interesting decade, both for Baked and for music in general, and despite all the apocalyptic predictions for the imminent collapse of the 'music industry' and the death of physical formats, we're still here and still selling great music that we like. Ten years on, that continues to be a huge privilege. Our heartfelt thanks goes out to all the customers, shops, distributors, cutting engineers, manufacturers, agents, promoters, DJs, labels and artists, - in fact a list so lengthy, it might take the next ten years to compile.

November 2nd 2009 Releases

NAPHTA
Fully Loaded / Soundclash 1 (Ghost Relick VIP)
Ruff Revival 12"
(RR 002)

'Naphta's 'Fully Loaded' side restores muscular memories of Jet Star B-sides, Shut Up and Dance , Production House, Ibiza ...Spin Inn, blues... Potential BadBoy, Genaside II, G Double E and so many more spring to mind during this simply irresistible rinseing. Jungle was indeed so much more than we've all been told. Building on the fantastic reactions thus far on his 'Long Time Burning' full length CD album, and next to the heavily delayed, but eagerly awaited Keysound rerub from Grievous Angel himself (out soon we promise, hold tight) Naphta looks well placed to triumph under the disarming righteous cause of jump up jungle. How can you say no?'

GRIEVOUS ANGEL
NAPHTA Soundclash (GRIEVOUS ANGEL VIP Mix)/
GRIEVOUS ANGEL Harpy
Keysound 12"
(LDN 011)




"Absolutely love it!" Mary Anne Hobbs, BBC Radio 1
"Mosh pits materialise when I play this!" Jamie VEX'D


MACHINEFABRIEK
Loops For Voerman
Machinefabriek CD EP
(MF 003)

'Loops For Voerman is a dark, impressionistic composition, just over fifteen minutes in length, its bowed metal, atonal strings and cold harmonic overtones continually realigning, bringing to life the imposing nature of Voerman's sculpture. The silence within the piece, between the scraping and sustained resonance of the sounds, evokes an unsettling presence, a claustrophobic feeling of imposing, collapsing structures, abandoned and lost. Machinefabriek's contribution to the installation, presented here as a stand alone piece, is a master class in sound sculpture, and an essential addition to the ever expanding back catalogue of Rutger Zyudervelt. '

DEAN MCPHEE
Brown Bear
Hood Faire 12" EP
(HDFR 002V)






"A really beautiful sound" - The Wire Magazine
"He's an absolutely extraordinary player who builds up these soundscapes. It's amazingly clever, I don't know how he does it with two hands to be honest" - Tom Ravenscroft, NME
"It's a beguiling and soothing listen" - Diskant

'From the opening bars of first track 'Sky Burial' Dean Mcphee's expressive solo electric guitar playing is a joy to behold. A guitarist from West Yorkshire, McPhee performs using only guitar and effects, and the three compositions which make up 'Brown Bear' were recorded live with no edits or overdubs. 'Brown Bear' is a masterful excursion into solo performance, incorporating folk picking styles, subtle shifts of background ambience and sorrowful melodies, all seemingly executed with ease. At times the compositions are reminiscent of Richard Thompson's emotive and melancholic playing, with shades of the Australian trio The Hungry Ghosts' ear for a beautifully sparse melody, in other places brushing up against the more minimal spectral pieces of Loren Connors. 'Brown Bear' has a rich, warm tonal quality, and McPhee's expansive playing style clearly requires no additional accompaniment to colour the tracks. Using slow delays and open tunings Dean creates textural plains over which his melodies soar. Clocking in at just over twenty one minutes, 'Brown Bear' is an astonishingly beautiful EP from a natural player.'

EMITER
Microsillon
Gusstaff CD
(GRAM 0906)

'Emiter is a solo project by Marcin Dymiter (electronics, guitar, generator, loops, tape) who previously played in such bands as : Ewa Braun, Mapa, Mordy. He has collaborated with musicians engaged with jazz, electronics and avant- garde music: Rob Mazurek, Paul Wirkus, Rosa Arruti, Le Quan Ninh, John Butcher, Axel Dorner, Andrew Sharpley, Mikolaj Trzaska, the poet Marcin Swietlicki, Raphael Roginski, Marek Choloniewski, Tomasz Choloniewski, Dagna Sadkowska, Michal Górczynski and as a band voice_electronic duo, Linie Pólnocne. He cooperated and composed for off's theaters, he plays on live to silent films and cooperates with visual artists. Marcin Dymiter is also a musical producent. He played in many countries in Europe. As Emiter he has released ten CDs. He experiments with sound design - unlocking tones and transformations which accompany our life and searches for inspiration in the world around us. He believes that music is everywhere. Composing it is a never ending process. "Microsillon" is Marcin's first album on Gusstaff Records. Field-recordings, acoustic sounds, electronica, guitar and improvisations are the most important features of this record. It was recorded in many places in Gdansk, sometimes in public rooms of historic importance. In these recordings excellent polish musicians participated : Tomasz Choloniewski (percussion), Wojciech Jachna (trumpet), Tomasz Gadomski (hang).'

October 26th 2009 Releases

DANNY SAUL
Harsh, Final.
White Box CD
(WHITEBOX 004CD)

“Yesterday I was standing in the rain waiting for the bus, listening to that first song in my headphones, and I just lost it. My eyes completely filled with water, and my body just froze. Then later on in the evening I was on my way home on the bus, listening to the album again, and I missed my bus stop...it is deeply affecting music…I remember that day… It was intense and amazing.” - Peter Broderick

“I´ve been listening to it constantly since I got it, brilliant in every aspect...it's been a long time since I heard something this beautiful. It feels so complete as an album” - Jasper TX

“Really really beautiful … dark and moving” - Machinefabriek

MATTHEW HALSALL
Colour Yes
Gondwana CD
(GONDCD 003)

'Last year Matthew Halsall's debut album 'Sending My Love' planted him firmly on the UK jazz map, with a release which earned him praise across the board. Solid airplay from Radio 1's Gilles Peterson (the album figured in his top 40 albums of 2008), Stuart Maconie (BBC 6 Music), Tom Robinson (BBC 6 Music) and Mike Chadwick (Jazz FM) amongst others, culminated in a Maida Vale session for 6 Music. Halsall's expressive playing style and compositions, rooted deep in the spiritual jazz tradition, combined with subtle arrangements and respectful production, led to the release becoming something far greater than just the sum of its parts - more than simply a debut from a skilled, young player - 'Sending My Love' offered a welcome return to form for UK jazz - it even grabbed the attention of Nitin Sawhney, and led to the pair collaborating in a week long session.

As a trumpeter, composer, DJ and label head for Gondwana, both Matthew and the label continue to go from strength to strength - June saw Gondwana release Manchester saxophonist Nat Birchall's 'Akhenaten' album, which also featured Matthew's playing, and was hailed by critics as "Truly transcendental" (Mojo, Disc Of The Day), "A quite remarkable album" (Jazz UK), "Beautifully stately performance" (The Wire), "Outstanding and most enthralling" (Jazzwise Magazine), among many others. Following the success of both the label's releases so far, Matthew has secured prized gigs at Ronnie Scotts and the Jazz Cafe in London with the likes of Quantic, Gilles Peterson and Nostalgia 77.

A committed performer and restless musician, Halsall now returns with his second full length album 'Colour Yes' delivering six brand new compositions. This time around Matthew recruited the talents of Nat Birchall (sax), Adam Fairhall (piano), Gavin Barras (bass), Gaz Hughes (drums), Marek Dorcik (drums) and Rachael Gladwin (harp) - the groups impeccable performances under Halsall's direction, deliver yet another consistent and often brilliant release, authentic in every which way. The effortless swing of title track and album opener 'Colour Yes', really defines what it is about Halsall's vision of jazz that gives him the upper hand; this is timeless music, it owes nothing to the past - sure, there are comparison points, but all lead to music which is indeed, already classic. An undeniable clarity is present throughout, themes are balanced and already sounding fully road-tested.

'Together' is a transcendental modal ballad which fuels the spirit of Stan Tracey's 'Starless and Bible Black' and Neil Ardley's 'Shades Of Blue' as performed by Don Rendell and Ian Carr's Quintet. Utterly beautiful. 'Mudita' is the jazz dance feature that will be a hit with the Sleepwalker and Soil & Pimp crowd; the spacial rhythm section play like Bill Evan's classic trios, where the space between the notes almost mean as much as the notes themselves. This not only shows a great respect for the past masters of modal exploration but makes a bold step forward to re-establish 'British jazz' as a vital music as much in 2009 as it was in the mid 1960's. The addition of Rachael Gladwin's harp brings a sense of liquidity to the band, take it as read that Dorothy Ashby and Alice Coltrane are honoured forebears. By the close of this fine second Matthew Halsall album, the authoritative drive of this band truly seems to have transmitted to a whole new astral plane.'


EMPTYSET
(emptyset)
Caravan CD CVANCD 002
Caravan 2LP (CVAN 010)

'An empty set is an empty box or an empty bag. It's not the same as nothingness. Aesthetically it implies structure without content; absolute potential without manifestation. This works as a template for listening to the record: it sounds like dance music with the guts ripped out; the vengeful ghost of a techno future generated entirely from noise and sine waves. There are no melodic lines on which to hitch a free ride; your attention is required at all times to safeguard against total disorientation. emptyset is a Brutalist structure, a foreign universe born out of a void, becoming sentient and condemned to await demolition. You need not have studied Jung or harbour any particular psycho-geographical leanings to recognize that a drawn out process of smashing a city's urban heart to pieces might influence its art. With the extensive reconstruction of its city centre, at one point the biggest building site in Europe, Bristol has been a site of dereliction and mass demolition for the last decade. This upheaval, which has seen tonnes of girders, beams and aggregates destroyed, is just another episode in the city's tradition of lo-frequency exploration. Bristol's ley-lines are as much aural and temporal as they are geographical, running backwards through history. Mass Slavery, Bass culture, Tape hiss in the Lo-Fi Bedsit tradition, Georgian splendour bombed to human smithereens in WWII; All these dehumanized visions subsequently informed everything from the building of an extensive network of underground slave tunnels to the creation of tower block living rooms; lo-frequencies shook the earth and noise filled the air. Bass is the tool, the machine head used to explore cracks, find spaces, open them up and fill them with noise. This is not an analogy; this is happening right now, all over the city. For the wayward musical explorer, living in contemporary Bristol is akin to being lost in a room full of maps, or on a construction site with an incredibly beautiful though constantly shifting view.

As a direct consequence, Bristol is the only city that could produce this album. With its dialogues in play between techno, dubstep, drone and avant-garde electronics, the environment of grassroots cultural cooperation serves to destabilize the boundaries between the grammars of individual genres. Recorded at Multiverse, birthplace of the labels Tectonic, Kapsize and (of course) Caravan, and home to artists such as Joker, Pinch, Vex'd, 2562 and Caravan label boss October, emptyset has emerged from a rich lineage of forward thinking experimental music.

Artist Information : 'emptyset' is a Bristol based production duo exploring techno music's broad influences and compiling them to a studio template focused on tight production and detailed sound design. Inspired by the city's culture of bass lead production the sound has been described as techno meets dubstep folded back onto techno again, a description which is perhaps the most insightful to date. The project owes credit to the classic releases of M-Plant, Sähkö and Chain Reaction as well as more recent producers such as Alva Noto, Deathprod and Burial. 'emptyset' acts as a research project connecting the ideas of a modern dancefloor with experimental approaches to music and its design.'

October 19th 2009 Releases

2562
Unbalance
Tectonic CD (TECCD 006)
Tectonic 3LP (TEC 034)

'2562 follows up his groundbreaking debut album 'Aerial', and pushes both his creative talents, and the boundaries of dubstep, to another level entirely. 'Unbalance' is an exceptional body of electronic music, and fully demonstrates 2562's adept ability to move through engaging soundscapes with both pin-point precision drum programming and innovative sample regeneration. 2562, real name Dave Huismans, is named after the postcode in The Hague, Netherlands where he lives, a city detached from the main epicentres of dubstep, and thus brings both cultural distance and a uniquely diverse sound to the project. During the course of a brief but faultless discography, he's dropped four killer twelve inches for Tectonic, as well as 'Aerial' - one of the defining albums of 2008 - not to mention a similar number of singles under his A Made Up Sound guise, and, in the process, has blown wide open a number of scenes, allowing a welcome and long overdue cross pollination within DJ set lists.

'Unbalance' sees 2562's vision of dubstep moving forward into previously unexplored areas. Warmer than its predecessor, innovation and experimentation is still as evident as ever, as the influence of Theo Parrish and Flying Lotus meet with the deep end of Bristol bass music. With productions drawing inspiration from garage, dubstep, house, techno and broken beats - affiliations and collaborations have proliferated - killer remixes and one-offs have cemented the Dutchman firmly in the 'A' list of contemporary production talent. 'Unbalance' is impeccably built, and accessibly disposed: sheer dancefloor carnage is guaranteed. Tectonic label boss Pinch says: "I've worked closely with 2562 over the last few years and I can honestly say that 'Unbalance' is an incredible album - it's one of the most exciting releases that Tectonic has seen to date - it vastly exceeds the already high standard he set himself with 'Aerial'." With this new LP for Tectonic, 2562 breaks new ground - in moving away from the dub-techno associations of his earlier works, he creates a whole new world.

It's with some major excitement then that we present his second full length album: 'Unbalance' on Tectonic - right on time for an end of year carve up. Where 2009 was ushered in by fellow lowland compatriot and close friend Martyn smashing it with 'Great Lengths', Huismans, in true competitive spirit, delivers a dancehall crasher of an album, to round out a year of even more pronounced genre exchanges and hybrid sounds. From the outset, 'Intro' and 'Flashback' let fly some of the face cards in Huismans' deck - the ample swell of swung garage informed by a new school sensibility, all grounded by that trademark giant bass presence. 'Lost' reprises a familiar broken refrain in refixed mode, landing with a delightful low-end almost junglist descent and a huge mid range melodic sustain, absolutely killer stuff. With 'Like A Dream' the album is really motoring by now - squashed Mr Fingers style acid machinations inside a wildout bass and drums swing, if anything typifying the sheer sense of progression and development this music brings with it. In many ways this is an album for playing out, but also about playing out - each tune seeming to recombine on second and third listens, just as the DJ's selection is never the same twice, even when playing the same records. Tear up the form book - the diversity and breathtaking momentum of this fine album moves fleet of foot - like Usain Bolt over Berlin - inspirational.'

KOWTON
Stasis (Gmix) / Countryman
Keysound 12"
(LDN 013)

'Big tings from Joe Kowton, sometimes known as Narcossist ....this new Keysound plate epitomises the sheer vibrant energy emanating from this label right now, as funKeysounds have materialised - insurgent and resurgent moments, Blackdown has been on the case since day. 'Stasis' and 'Countryman'. both Transition specials, land at a level which is guaranteed many many spins. Hype twelve for the autumn, believe - and with all due deference to dons El-B / Gurley / Edwards - this is big beeline dub garage made for party - call it whatyalike, big with Ben UFO, Oneman, Brackles and Shortstuff .. Running on a deep 33 cut, throwing a dummy punch of motive dubbed keys, nearly in stasis like the title, topped with a crackling vocal but what an abandoned freeing swing and full funked bounce there is to this tune as it lands - massive - i for one personally can't wait to hear mixes into related stuff : Hyph Mango, Hyperdubs - the low end simply ((( k-i-l-l-e-r ))) mids are crisped and ripped, like the wires of the machine itself are frying under the sheer heat running off this deepest tune, the vocal stabs luxuriant and urgent simultaneously, a chorded dub basement vibe stays very much in the shade, all melded to the full frequency range garage subs - the bass unlocked on this plate is out of control and will take centre stage at peak times.

'Countryman' is a dedicated relative - revolving around a central trodding steppers motif, the groove intensifies with the dread vocal as centrepoint, its fabric is assailed by more crispy bits, the dub builds and the full sub pressure reveals itself, a chesty rattler with ghostly vocals delaying into the mix, a soundbwoy classic for a lost and distant future - fantastic. Narcossist productions have been showing up on radars of scenesters for the past two or three years even, a shelf of unreleased bare dubs, raw and exciting - even his fine-tuned prior 'Sunblind' twelve for Indigo's Mindset, for all its guttural metallic garage skank gave scarce hints at this two sided monster. '

OYARRSS versus CLOAKS
A La Holeage
Abractions 12"
(ABSTRACTIONS 001)

'The excellent Creative Space label from Greece takes an away day for this extra-special release on their Abstractions imprint. Oyaarss are as broadly agreeable as their name may suggest, hailing from Latvia, and found their original of 'A la Holeage' becoming a firm unreleased favourite of Mary Ann Hobbs, and rapidly becoming notorious amongst noise and experimental fans, not to mention the more sonically adventurous dubsteppers. Cloaks take the opportunity to put down their most sonically extreme material to date, as downright nasty certainly as anything yet emitted from their studios. A matching of like minds offers stunning and yet differing results - where Oyaarss occupy an obliterated post-hardcore landscape, Cloaks almost allow you to experience the very elapsing moments of obliteration.'

SIMON SCOTT
Navigare
Miasmah LP
(MIALP 011)
features vinyl-only track 'Dissolving Memories'
(CD features CD-only track 'The Night And The Artificial Light')


LIQUID WICKED ft JOSEPH COTTON / TWISTED
The Governor / The Superpowers
Scrub-A-Dub 12"
(SCRUB 004)