Jack Dixon - 1 EP (free download)

Techno/ house producer Jack Dixon has a wealth of releases under his belt, via a number of hi-quality record labels - we dig free music and we dig his work, so check this 3-track EP out. Combining spectral atmospherics and wonky percussion, it's an enjoyably diverse set of tracks.
Get it here.

Guy Andrews - The Wait (Hotflush Records, 28 May)

Guy Andrews - The Wait (Hotflush Records, 28 May)

Perrenial Shallowrave favourite Guy Andrews follows up his acclaimed 12" for Hemlock with a dark dancefloor killer for Hot Flush, undoubtedly one of our favourite labels. Whilst we've had nothing but good things to say about Andrews' post-rock/ambient output, it definitely feels that he's hitting his stride as a producer with his recent dancefloor 12"s - Iambic's focus on soundscapes, texture and the wall of noise limited the potential for narrative and drive. The transition to more focussed and beat-driven productions sees Andrews using his readily-established talent for composition and rhythm to create powerful bass music hybrids. Mixing snippets of acid basslines, complex percussion and warm, reverb-heavy synth lines, The Wait is one of those brilliantly wtf?-inducing tracks that deserves to be absolutely massive, whilst Hands in Mine continually fakes out the listener, mixing Mount Kimbie-esque walls of noise and Baile funk percussion before dropping into something that sounds a bit Kode9's Too Far Gone, a bit like Music era Talking Heads and a lot like what James Blake wishes he was making.

Andrews work sits nicely alongside other releases from Hot Flush and Hemlock, mixing many of the elements that both labels helped to build. However, unlike some of his labelmates, Andrews never sounds like a techno producer incorporating R'n'B elements, or a dubstep producer who's listened to too many Ostgut records; like Shades/Textures before it, The Wait feels like someone approaching dance music with a completely blank slate, incorporating whatever elements appeal to them, rather than attempting to emulate existing artists. His mixes (see below) clearly demonstrate a pretty solid knowledge of current dance music, yet The Wait feels brilliantly naive and unencumbered in both production and composition. Awesome work.
http://soundcloud.com/guyandrews

Gravious - Spatial Dimensions EP [Broken Bubble]

 

Broken Bubble have had a great 2011, releasing several superlative dubstep / 2-step EPs (without a hint of mindless Wub), from the likes of Sorrow and Bonecold. Their latest release is from Glasgow-based producer Gravious, whose electro-inflected 2-step tracks are complex, melodic and inventive. There are even flutes at one point! Despite the sombre names of both Gravious and his labelmates, often the music on Broken Bubble is uplifting and sparsely beautiful, and 'Spatial Dimensions' is no exception. There's a psychedelic, natural feel to Gravious work on this EP which hearks back to the early work of Pinch and Scuba. With three new tracks and 3 remixes (one by Sorrow), this is well worth your time and money, from a netlabel fast becoming the go-to guys for quality future bass.

Four Tet - Fabric Live 59

Four Tet - Fabric Live 59 (19/09, Fabric)

I've never been the biggest fan of Fabric's output as a whole; amongst the undoubted greats (Shackleton, John Peel, Jackmaster), there's a few that date badly (Nitin Sawhney), or really just don't do it for me (John Digweed, LTJ Bukem). Occasionally, they pop out the kind of mix that keeps you fascinated for weeks and totally redefines the idea of a 'mix'. Four Tet's approach to his Fabric mix isn't quite the magnificent slice of awesomeness that Shackleton's was, but it does manage to do away with certain conventions, and surprisingly accurately convey his uniquely weird approach to production and performance. Based around a framework of 90s 2-Step and Grime, Hebden has tracked down vinyl rarities, ripped digital versions from records and recorded found sounds from Fabric itself in an attempt to convey his sense of what a night out feels like, rather than merely blending tracks as anyone else would have been happy to do. It's a headfuck, and stands up as one of Fabric's more unique releases, taking in Burial's mournful Street Halo, C++'s hyperactive Angie's Fucked, compositions Four Tet created especially for the compilation, and crafting them into a surreal musical masterpeice. Definitely one of Fabric's more interesting releases.