spatial - infra001
This release encompasses the 10" vinyl (available at Boomkat,Warpmart and others.) AND two free creative commons tracks.
Mastered by Transition (80207 / 70810) and Twerk (70707 / 80723).
Distributed by Cargo.
Design by fréya.
Artist Info
Reviews
Boomkat
“Issuing the very last word on the state of dubstep’s constant mutations in 2008, Londoner Spatial drops an exceptional 10” of clipped post-Burial/future-garage productions for the newly coined Infrasonics imprint – and right at the very end of 2008 has produced what will no doubt be a true collectors item a few months down the line. Housed in a minimalist sleeve and bearing little other info than a five letter code and the label’s URL, the aesthetic is deliberately stripped and scoured clean, much like the beats inside. ‘80207’ is an absolutely killer slice of crisp and spacious garage dub progressions, sounding like the perfect union of Andy Stott’s techno dub fixation crossbred with Burial’s swung patterns and 2562’s chrome plated production gloss, but adds old skool rave strafes and some cybotronic mechanics of his own for a truly shocking cut. The flipside numbered ‘70810’ rewrites the formula even further, starting with a El-B fashioned rhythmic framework, Spatial reinforces the rhythm with slashing brushstrokes to remove any unneccessary beats, and douses the whole thing with a ghostly atmosphere reminiscent of Burial or Andy Stott’s finest. It’s either the end of a vintage year for garage futurisms or the start of a very promising 2009, either way, this is just awesome. Be quick."
Joe Muggs for Wire Magazine
“This year’s clearest trend in dubstep is “future garage”, a technologically-enhanced re-imagining of the sound’s 2-step origins by Martyn, 2562, Ramadanman & co. On his debut productions, Londoner s p a t i a l could have risked simply reworking this new formula: the microhouse clicks, Basic Channel washes and clean subs are certainly present and correct. However his understanding of original UK garage’s clipped shuffle, snappy woodblock hits and compressed emotion goes way beyond pastiche, and the incorporation of older rave elements like "80723"’s Detroit strings and riffs and "80207"’s contrast between cushioning alto vocal samples and sharp stabs creates a distinctive sound world. Most of all, though, it’s the expert manipulation of space to give a sense of buoyancy, of loosened gravity, that make stepping inside these four tracks so inviting."
Warpmart - Recommended Release
“Utterly anonymous release from the equally ambiguous Infrasonics crew. Both cuts fit in between the atmospheric, 2-step of Burial and the mechanised garage of dubstep’s godfather, El-B. No information, so no lead to go on, but what we can say is that you need to snap one of these up quick – we’re informed that they’re a one-time-only limted edtion pressing. Killer.”
Thanks
…to all those who helped get this record out. You know who you are :)
spatial - infra002
This release encompasses the 10" vinyl (available at Boomkat, Rough Trade, Norman Records and others.) AND one free creative commons track.
Mastered by Transition (90121 / 90113) and Twerk (81012).
Distributed by Cargo.
Design by fréya.
Please Note: Some of the records have been manufactured with the labels printed on the wrong side of the vinyl. The track order is correct at Boomkat has it where 01 is the A side (90121) and 02 is the AA side (90113). One for the discogs crew ;)
Artist Info
Reviews
Cargo Records
“When Spatial’s first EP made its spectral presence felt in the final washed-out days prior to Christmas 2008, bass music’s body electric experienced a new shock as a fresh mutation of the low end virus coursed through its virtual circuits, and listeners tuned in to the twin signals of ‘80207’ and ‘70810’ with such synchronous speed that the record was all but sold out by the time its official early January release date rolled up. With this next double-header sure to enhance his nascent reputation as dubstep’s latest questing spirit, Spatial proves conclusively that sophisticated future garage minimalism can move a crowd just as effectively as more raucous styles.However, ‘Infra002’ is about far more than a self-consciously reductive Berlin-dub-techno-meets-UK-garage-beats cliché: the dark euphoria of original Detroit techno and the most sensuous moments in rave and jungle surge through its bloodstream. Like that of another feted inhabitant of South London’s boroughs, Spatial’s music contains memories of raves past, but as leading bass scribe Joe Muggs observes, these are not melancholic dreams – rather they are thrilling flashbacks to peak experiences. The techno chords, steadily driving junglist syncopation and single looping note of female vocal in ‘90121’ build momentum with the patience and restraint one might expect from a Carl Craig epic, showing how dubstep doesn’t need massive builds or drops to maintain pace, while the track’s very real urgency is the polar opposite of the floaty head-nod vibe normally associated with the words “deep tune”. ‘90113’ taps a parallel stream of breathless tension and velocity, making distinctive use of a four-to-the-floor pulse and the snapping woodblocks, rimshots and snares of UK garage, as its spaces flood progressively with a steady bass throb, moist bleeps, flickering vocal snippets and tingling techno chords.
Like its earlier sibling, the ‘Infra002’ EP arrives in an elegant package, the impeccably stripped-down design of the sleeve perfectly mirroring the well-placed details of the sleek beats within, making it equally a buy-on-sight essential for collectors and box fixture for working selectors."
Boomkat - Single Of The Week
“You may remember us getting a little hot under the collar about this fella’s first 10” towards the end of last year so you know we’ve all been waiting for this one with baited breath. Driving deeper into the world of post-garage and dub techno, this plate even manages to outstrip its predeccessor for sheer bass weight with a couple of cuts that make your head feel like it’s in a pressure chamber when listened to on headphones, seriously. Sticking with the bleached aesthetic of the first 10", track ‘90113’ uses a well considered palette of sonic weaponry, namely cavernous dub chords, tuff garage drums and a subbass movement that made us think the needle had eaten through the plate, glued together in a fashion similar to Roska’s premium post-garage syncopations. Flip it for ‘90121’ and a switch in patterns with the same meticulous attention to detail applied to forward 4/4 steppers mechanics sounding like Substance & Vainqueur if they’d come from London instead of Berlin. These are two choice cuts for any connoisseurs of dub techno, garage or dubstep and come highly recommended to fans of F, 2562, Narcossist, Alva Noto or Roska. Killer!"
Norman Records
“Spatial. My friend Rick has no spatial awareness you know. Every time he comes in my house he breaks something. Must be he thinks he’s still a foetus rather than a large bumbling man in his late 30s. This other Spatial thing is a cool 10” EP of abstract & funky dubstep-y style stuff with a solid, interesting drum rhythm, some subtle wobbly synth flecks and a disembodied vocal sample of a wailing diva in space that’s probably escaped from every LTJ Bukem tune ever. There’s lots of cool sounds and layered effects that build up in expert fashion to create a step-tastic vortex of technically savvy future D’n’B inspired gear. The flip reminds me quite a lot of the recent Bristol stuff, a dub techno flecked groovathon with hearty nods towards the skool of Kevin Saunderson. Very “IDM” looking sleeve too. Ltd 10" on Infrasonics"
Shouts
…to wiretappers everywhere :)
Ike Release vs Hot City - infra12001
NB: Please note, we’ve had a issue with the manufacture of the vinyl. It’ll be with us shortly :)
Mastered by Transition
Distributed by Cargo.
Design by fréya.
Artist Info
Reviews
Cargo Records
With the shock waves of this imprint’s first two 10" releases from Spatial still resonating through global sub woofers, Infrasonics presents a split double A side four tracker from Ike Release and Hot City, both working different perspectives on UK bass music, but both referencing common threads therein. Ike Release, a Berlin resident hailing from Chicago, creates an energetic hybrid of deep, glacial synthetic textures underpinned by solid subs and UK influenced grooves that has already found favour amongst observers like Phillip Sherburne. The British rave continuum is clear and present across both tracks but re-contextualised and brought up to date amidst a discerning European sonic palette.‘Misdeeds’ opens with an upbeat, energetic feel; the rhythm propelled by a driving sub bass groove… this is dubstep at it’s most optimistic. ‘Jenova’ is killer technoid garage that maintains the same urgency, with a brightness, buoyancy and warmth that defies any stereotype of “deep” and pensive, preferring to move bodies on the floor. Hot City has been gaining quite a reputation on the London underground having recently completed mixes for Mary Anne Hobbs as well as the ever reliable FACT magazine series. He is also a resident at London’s Wifey club night as well as the How’s My Raving events at Cargo. Simply put, Hot City produces relentless, unselfconscious dance-floor bangers that neatly triangulate hardcore, UK garage and jacking Todd Edward’s style New York House. With tight production and precision edits propelling his sound forward, Hot City seems to have successfully captured the ethos of the UK rave continuum and packaged it up into a driving 21st century sound that’s found favour from DJs as diverse as Drop The Lime and Hudson Mohawke.
‘Setting Me Free’ starts with what could be a very early Prodigy string pad before launching into solid house groove reminiscent of Inner City. The track continues to build and surprise with clever edits, sampled vocal phonemes and euphoric breaks. ‘No More’ sees Hot City delve into 3am warehouse party territory, built around a stabbing bass note before opening into a piano chord that interplays with a doubling of the bass riff and the signature edits and breaks. It’s unashamed hands-in-the-air material, recalling a time when the dance was less self consciously genre bound, and making that time now.
Phillip Sherburne for Wire Magazine
After a pair of well received 10-inches, East London’s Infrasonics label shifts to the 12-inch format, showcasing the work of two emerging producers working at the intersection of techno and dubstep. Like fellow Berlin resident Scuba, the Chicago-raised Ike Release is fond of lush, fizzy chord stabs that stretch across the tack like a billowing tarpaulin. Keenly syncopated kick/snare patterns and knife-sharpening hi-hats on “Misdeeds” are clearly indebted to drum ‘n’ bass, while the bass line itself is born of London’s long obsession with low end at its most nimble. “Jenova” follows a similar pattern, fluffed up with gorgeous dub pads, but its rimshot syncopations reference 2-step garage’s approach to tension and release. London’s Hot City, meanwhile, shows himself a keen student of breakbeat hardcore, slathering “Set Me Free” and “No More” with sickly synth strings and piano stabs, slowing the tempo to a broken, 4/4 prowl; he bookends the garage continuum with 2-step flourishes and, from the US, Todd Edwards’ choppy sample play. Both tracks feint and jab with exhilarating energy and restraint.Or check out a scan of the magazine.
Boomkat
“Spatial’s Infrasonics imprint expands its remit with a new release featuring the debut productions from Ike Release and two gems from underground stepper Hot City. While the label has become known for Spatial’s pristine 2-step refluxes, this instalment moves from the darker edges of the floor into the dancing zone with Ike Release’s two breakstep meets dubtech styles, carving out hard-skipping rhythms and low-rubbing garage bass under bright and airy dubchord sequences sounding like the best of London’s current rave styles transplanted to somewhere in Berlin. Hot City makes sure it comes crashing back to London on his pair of winners though, starting with the EBM kicks of ‘Setting Me Free’ fashioned into something far funkier and late-90’s urban-garage-bleep styled. Check his killer Fact mix for all the reference points that never really reached the North back then! His ‘No More’ cut follows with a very tasty rave-house anthem in the making. Massive twelve.”
Resident Advisor
“The first 12-inch release on Infrasonics is a milestone. The first single of its diameter (both of its predecessors have been 10-inches), it also harbours the first material not produced by Infra boss Spatial to be released on the label. Bringing back the concept of a split single, Spatial’s enlisted two of future garage’s brightest hopes in Ike Release and Hot City for the honour. Chicago-raised Ike Release shares more than a passing aural resemblence to the previous output on the label, with airy pads delayed for eons supported by a rough and punchy 2-step beat and super high-pitched vocal snippets that scream at the perfect moment. “Jenova” pips the post of Ike’s work on here with its constant Detroit pulses and clean sine wave bass clawing for a little more attention than the rough thunder of his drum work on “Misdeeds.” London’s own Hot City – who came to light after a sterling effort on the Highpoint Lowlife label – is a bass producer with a subtle difference. His passion for rave music is undeniable with waify intro melodies skipping through primitive percussion and on into the leading piano workout on “Setting Me Free,” but he doesn’t sound as excessively throwback as, say, Zomby or Shitmat. The melding of rough bass, the simplicity of his skipping drum samples and the general tinny cleanliness of his piano samples on “No More” proves this, and offer a glimpse of a wholly original producer fighting to break through the hordes of producers painting dubstep-not-dubstep by numbers."
Links
spatial - infra003
This release encompasses the 10" vinyl (available at Boomkat, Rough Trade, Norman Records, Phonica, Rubadub and others.) AND one free creative commons track.
Mastered by Transition (90729 / 90807) and Twerk (90731).
Distributed by Cargo.
Design by fréya.
Artist Info
Reviews
Cargo Records
The Spatial 10-inch EP series reaches its third and most visceral installment yet with ‘90729’ and ‘90807’. Spatial’s inaugural release on Infrasonics in late 2008 was enthusiastically welcomed by listeners, DJs and critics, as was its follow-up earlier this year, a reaction attributable to the producer’s instinctive fit with one of the prevailing moods in dubstep – in reclaiming the fluidity of 2-step garage and re-appropriating dub-techno processes, these productions capably stand alongside those of Martyn or 2562.
More than the execution of these satisfying tropes, though, their strength lies in a spooky attunement to the faint vibrations of a whole spectrum of dancefloor epiphanies, presenting in some ways a crisper, less melancholy counterpart to Burial, or even James Kirby’s projects as The Caretaker, but from the right side of the comedown. This latest collection of tracks, possibly Spatial’s most evocative, takes indirect inspiration from experience of the kind of ‘91-era Euro-rave documented in Warlock’s recent mix for FACT magazine. Removed as the comparison might seem given their wrought, contemporary sound, vestiges are detectable, such as the transmuted hoover basslines, hollow panic-synths and ectoplasmic vocal trails that at the peak of these tunes threaten to fill out Spatial’s characteristically airy, open-textured mix. Correspondingly, ‘90729’ and ‘90807’ all constitute conscious attempts to aim more squarely at the dancefloor, with success already coming in the form of DJ support from Untold, Incyde, T++, and Dubwar NYC resident Dave Q.
Boomkat - Single Of The Week
Via waves of unremitting subbass, Infrasonics have just rearranged our internal organs with the 3rd 10" on the label courtesy of Spatial. It’s going to be blindingly obvious to anyone following this end of the techy bass pool that both tracks sound remarkably alike Untold’s recent productions, which is about as much praise as we can give anyone right now. On ‘90729’ he achieves that overwhelming bass presence that made the ’It’s Gonna Work Out Fine’ EP so powerfully addictive, creating the sort of subliminally sexy bass tones that are just a rare commodity in this scene. Add this to the strafing rave tones and sticky electro percussion and you’ve got one of the deadliest grooves we’ve heard all year. On the flip ‘90807’ takes cues from the lean and hungry eski-riddims of Wiley, creating that dynamic feeling of sparse tension as Bok Bok, Untold or Sully productions with rhythms that twitch and flicker with a refined menace, enforced by the impending dread sub-drone. This is the sort of record you just need in your life – buy on sight!!!
Cyclic Defrost
Previous releases by anonymous London producer Spatial for his own Infrasonics label garnered widespread praise for their energized contributions to the ‘future garage’ side of dubstep, and this latest instalment ought to strengthen his case. Again, the tracks all have five-digit numerical titles, a trait of Spatial’s to keep non-musical elements to a minimum (while also mirroring the scene’s interest in postcodes), and the jagged frenzy of earlier releases has been further intensified.
The clipped, chunky beats of ‘90729′ are bound in tightly wound digital wire, the beats rigid but confused by phantom afterimages, bright stateside house chords lending warmth to an otherwise bleak vision. ‘90807′ toys with rhythmic freedoms, but again these are decoys, serving Burial-esque vocal bites and a gloomy, thoroughly synthetic vibraphone melody. ‘90731′ is jovial, even jubilant by comparison, a sensual female gasp erupting through playful rave stabs and pranksterish breaks. Heck, even the bass hoover seems perky. The clean, sleek lines and pinprick edits are custom built for large systems, striking a near perfect balance of light and shade that should charm all corners of the discotheque. Can we expect a ‘90210′ at some point?
FACT Magazine
Look, we know we hype up these Daily Downloads sometimes, but this is something special. Absolutely stunning future garage from Spatial of the Infrasonics camp (Hot City, Ike Release) – and this isn’t even the best track on the 10". Fans of Untold, 2562, Kowton/Narcossist and more should be all over this like a rash.
Lend me your ears
I’ve heard the future. It’s not even a whole track, but to these ears the second half of s p a t i a l’s 90729 (on his own Infrasonics) is the year’s most forward-looking, next-level, game-changing [insert additional cliches of choice] dance record.
No, really. Forget Hyph Mngo (great though it is). When 90729’s pan-galactic low-end announces itself at 3:00 precisely, we’re being signalled the thrilling sound of contemporary bass/garage in mid-morph.
Flicking either side of its implacable, lurching core, flitting into & instantly out of its voice snippets again while accumulating an ever more clattering, clicky percussive momentum, the next four minutes tell us what this music is supposed to sound like next.
The plinkily swinging 90807 & brisk, blithe Creative Commons goodie 90731 aren’t too shabby either…
Thanks
Mat Ranson, Robin Howells & Ralph Cowling, Andi Studer, Thorsten Sideboard, the Fold crew and all others that helped out for the Infrasonics rave :)
Shouts
RIP _why
xxxy vs Ike Release - infra12002
Mastered by Transition
Distributed by worldwide by Cargo and N America by Forced Exposure
Design by fréya
Artist Info
Reviews
Cargo Records
Infrasonics boss Spatial is proving to be as canny a selector as he is inspired a producer with this second double header 12” on the label, pitting new boy XXXY up against cocksure second-former Ike Release. Continuing the ride on UK-centric sub bass vibrations, XXXY ventures into 130bpm territory with two house-funky-2step-wtvr mashups, while Ike continues his sonic exploration of the Berlin-London trajectory as presaged in his debut release for Infrasonics last year. With the four-track ‘Infra12002’ EP, Infrasonics contributes its own reaserch to the investigation by an innovative wave of UK-focussed producers who are captialising on the atemporal history of dance as documented through the internet, taking elements of past, present and future to recontextualise into their own unique incarnation of bass driven electronic dance music.
XXXY’s filtered snare introduces the record with anthem-in-waiting ‘Blue Flashing Lights’, before dropping into bashy rhythm driven by a beckoning sub and his own minimal aesthetic. The pattern evolves into a 4×4 groove as the track gains momentum, the bass figure modulates pitch and the responding lazer synth adds resolution, as a broken beat pattern and vocal cuts layer and synths build and swirl. The bright chords opening ‘Know You’ introduce a more optimistic sonic pallete on the second track, with an offbeat snare and overall vibe sat somewhere between Roska and Kenny Larkin. The sub-bass emerges to ground the track firmly within LDN’s reach as subtle layers of percussion build with congas, bells and shakers introducing the break, before a more intense bass kicks the cut up a gear.
Ike Release starts his side with the swirling pad and 2-step groove of ‘Iridescent’ before dropping a heads-down sub and unleashing a killer groove. A syncopation of well placed percussion follows a similar trajectory to recent James Blake or Ramadanman releases but the spiky reversed synths provide as much reference to Detroit as they do to Berlin – his current residence. In ‘Natural Manipulation’ Ike uses layers of delayed synths to provide a backdrop of 5am Berghain textures that swirl around a pulsating, warm, driving sub and stepping broken groove that shuffles effortlessly through the duration of the track, highlighting a production style that is innately danceable. DJs across the board are already showing support for these tracks, including Ross Allen, Ben UFO, Hot City, Mosca, T++, Scuba, Appleblim, Dave Q, and Incyde. Mastered and cut with the eye of a royal jeweller by Jason at Transition Studio.
Boomkat
XXXY heads up the second 12" from Infrasonics in a split-off with Ike Release. Both of XXXY’s cuts explicitly reference the Funky and Garage styles which have saturated his sets of late, from the minimised Funky scuff ‘n skip of ’Blue Flashing Lights’ to the more broken beat drums of ‘Know You’ sounding compatible with your Altered Natives and Karizma rekkids. Ike Release is on a strictly skippers tip with ‘Iridescent’ arranging glassy synth movements with sticky 2-step patterns and a deep blue mood. Standing head and shoulders above all these however, is ‘Nature Manipulation’, blending SND-sharp electronics with Dutch techno chords and a central motor of restless 2-step.
Thaddi for De:Bug Magazine
In ‘Blue Flashing Lights’, XXXY nourishes the 8bit-step par excellence. ‘Know You’ is of different language, much more deep house, and imposes a strangely comic preset-drum line in its framework which step by step transforms into a dubstep bull fight ring.
Then Ike Release on the B-side: ‘Iridescent’ is as plushly furnished as the surface/interface of Pong, yet it vibrates in brightest colours. The subtle strings help thereby of course. ‘Nature Manipulation’ strikes back with bold dub references, twitchy 909 high hats and a thunderstorm which may well become the new standard.
Click here for a scan of the original review in German or view on the De:Bug website
FACT Magazine
Infrasonics label head spatial constructed an elegant and impressive mix for FACT earlier this year, a fluid melding of dubstep, techno, house, garage, and everything else, one with an ear and feeling equalled by few others operating in the same ill-defined genre nexus. The releases on his label – at first his own tunes only, and now in the midst of a series of split EPs – feel like the building blocks to that sort of alchemy; sparse, reduced bangers with interlocking connectors, ripe for blending and layering.
That comment is not to take away from these tracks and the way they’re presented is splendid in all their bare glory. Manchester’s xxxy helms the first half of the EP, ‘Blue Flashing Lights’ splashing powerful Funky percussion loops with glints of 8-bit grit, a nod to recent producers using the distinctive sound as the backbone of new movements in both dubstep and grime. Picking up steam as it rolls along, heavy sub-bass floats in like ominous fog while xxxy lets loose more samples, including something that sounds like a mercilessly manipulated Terror Danjah drop. For his other track here, ‘Know You’, he comes up with something a little more defined, all luxurious chords and super clean drums as new layers are delicately folded in. When the track breaks out into mad skank mode for a few bars, it’s an unnecessary victory lap [wtf? this is the best bit – Ed] that makes the resurgence of those chords when the track recedes back into its previous groove more powerful. ‘Know You’ is one of those should-be anthems that doesn’t necessarily break the mould, but is just so words-don’t-matter perfect at what it does it’s hard not to get excited when it comes into earshot.
If xxxy’s compositions are fun and inviting, infrasonics cohort Ike Release’s are austere and serious, dealing with the same palette but in a different context: ‘Iridescent’ juggles woodblock-y percussion a la Mount Kimbie, doling out smooth obsidian chords around snatches of vocals. The faster ‘Nature Manipulation’ is colour-inverted dubstep; dubby dread hits turned into sheets of stark white as the kicks and snares joyfully pound away. With this EP in the bag, an already formidable back catalogue and a new single on the way featuring more house reductions from Jamie Grind and Gon, Infrasonics continues to prove itself as a label that trades in sleek, sexy bass music that is as implacable as it is irresistible.
(Andrew Ryce)
Jamie Grind vs Gon - infra12003
Mastered by Transition
Distributed by worldwide by Cargo and N America by Forced Exposure
Design by fréya
Artist Info
Reviews
Cargo Records
The next Infrasonics split 12" is another four-track double A side introducing two new artists to the label and the wider UK bass scenes. The ‘Infra12003’ EP presents Jamie Grind vs Gon: the bright, urban hypercolour synth lines of the former battling the driving funky shuffle of the latter. This record presents another abstraction of the melting pot of styles and influences that permeate underground UK dance, with two contrasting perspectives of sound system culture.
Jamie Grind is a fresh Leeds based producer who creates hip hop influenced urban grooves with a 2-step skip and a healthy dose of optimism. The opening stabs and vocal snatches of ‘If You Want’ are instantly infectious, setting the sunshine vibe before dropping a skippy, yet understated garage beat underpinned by a lurching bass figure that references similar terrain as Brackles or Shortstuff, albeit in less overtly electro fashion. The track progresses to introduce swirling, modulated lead synth lines with the satisfying, humane feel of something from an old P-Funk record, diametrically opposing much of the machine coded modulations from other recent funk influenced dance tracks.
‘Balloon’ follows a similar trajectory, though with a marginally more abstract bent. A doubling of the initial chord movement plus a layered brass-like analogue lead spirals up before dropping a warm sub that locks tight into groove with the stepper’s drums. The subtle embellishments and interjections throughout each track keeps the vibe bubbling at exactly the right temperature; both are tantalisingly short but fully formed, referencing an almost pop sensibility and demanding instant repeat play.
Gon is the work of an Italian ex-pat now settled in Dublin. His house and UK funky-based productions have a maturity of sound, solidified by his wide musical exposure whilst manning the counter at the now sadly defunct Freebird record store.
‘Chaka Mad’ supplies a raucous introduction to his sound, a bashy rhythm centered around a throbbing bassline that cuts, drops, builds and modulates in all the right places to keep the dance blazing. A slight respite is introduced with synthetic pizzicato string towards the end before the cut-off rolls the bass back to sub frequencies and the track deconstructs. This is a DJ plate of the first order, destined to wreck any floor!
‘Riddance’ drops the vibes and BPM a few notches with a beautifully constructed UK funky track that exercises similar restraint as recent Pearson Sound or Ramadanman outings. The instant the thundering kick drum starts with the familiar soca-esque pattern and offbeat sub we are drawn inside the infectious rhythm. Subtle keys and well placed sound fx add empahsis and colour to the beat as the synth line pushes and pulls around the groove.
In delivering their latest four-part must-have, Spatial’s Infrasonics continues its confident growth as one of the pre-eminent outlets of British underground dance culture today.
Boomkat
Infrasonic’s third round of face-offs pairs the fresh skip of Jamie Grind with Gon’s electro-dubby Funky. Hailing from the bass-stronghold of Leeds, Jamie Grind gives the direct 2-step and bouncing chords of ‘If You Want’ and the P-funked synth juices of ‘Balloon’ for the swingers. Gon’s efforts run at a more laidback pace, from the clipped Ramadanman-style shimmy of ‘Chaka Mad’ to the ruder bashment house bass and dubby finish of ‘Riddance’ for the batty winding crew. Fans of Pearson Sound, Spatial or MJ Cole’s recent housey bits should be checking this.
Mixmag
Funk flavours from Leeds and Italy vs Ireland
Infrasonics boss Spatial was ahead of the game with his early future garage releases, and Jamie Grind’s two tracks here continue that psychedelic 2-steppy vibe with the addition of some lush funk synthesiser squiggles. But what we really like here is Italian-in-Dublin GON’s take on UK funky rhythms, full of zippy edits, warm bass and wide open spaces… quirky dancefloor class.
4/5
(Joe Muggs)
De-Bug Magazine
“Sensational, as might be expected. Spatial has enough good tracks in the drawer to win next year on the loose”.
Click here for a scan of the original review in German.
Playground Magazine
When Infrasonics was a label dedicated exclusively to the beautiful 10” format, there was only room for one artist and one sound: slow dubstep based on the techno textures of Berlin and clear 2step rhythms of Spatial. However, since the label has taken to the 12” format, the family has expanded with artists such as Ike Release, Hot City and Xxxy. Jamie Grind (born in Leeds) and Gon (originally Italian, now based in Dublin) are not only the newest signings, but also debutants on the over-populated scene of British bass music, though both show sufficient skills to be confident about their permanence. In the case of Jamie Grind’s style is on the rough side, at the crossroads between metallic dubstep and tropical percussion. In a way it’s the sound patented by Brackles and Deadboy (especially on “If You Want”)–, but on “Balloon” you can already see his interest in exploring sunnier textures –like Martyn and Kode9– instead of fighting the urge to flee to cerebral isolation. His epigraph on MySpace describes it perfectly: post-garage. And that’s why this split single works like a clock: Gon sticks to the funkstep aesthetic without having to think twice. He is laying bets on organic sounding Brazillian street drums, riddled with wobbly bass lines and finishes off his side of the vinyl with those occasional Detroit-style pads –between Actress and Pearson Sound– that are so fashionable these days. A great record, pure zeitgeist.