Bass Clef - Reeling Skullways (Punch Drunk, 30 April)

Bass Clef - Reeling Skullways (Punch Drunk, 30 April)

Shallowrave likes Bass Clef - watching him rise over the past few years, we've been in attendance at some wickedly screwy live sets in the Subby and in Stereo and repped his EP's as best we can. So a new full length on the excellent Punch Drunk is very welcome, and sees 'Clef unveiling a totally different style to his traditionally freeform dub/noise/IDM blend. Taking his cues from the wonkier moments of Chi-town and Detroit, Reeling Skullways is nine tracks of house twice-removed; a roiling mix of analogue modulation, swung four-to-the-floor rhythms and epic cosmic riffs. Whilst A Smile Is A Curve That Straightens Most Things, Hackney Centralist and Cumbers' early works are strongly carnivalesque, with trombone riffs and sampled MC lines, Reeling Skullways focusses more on the delicious quirks of analogue kit, and draws heavily from Model 500's space-age feel. Equally, the likes of Hackney-Chicago-Jupiter and Suddenly Alone Together show a far more focussed side to Cumbers, being edited and arranged into more coherent dancefloor numbers than the deliciously erratic Clapton Deep or Promises. Most striking is Embrace Disaster, where the warm analogue heart, delicate synth strings and conga percussion come together to create something that sounds like a beefed up Moroder classic.

Whilst Reeling Skullways first gives the impression of being some strange new beast, it's possible to hear elements of Cumbers' past experiments across the album, from the echochamber and delay work on Stenaline Metranil Solar Flare, to the EkoClef-esque industrial grind on the opening and closing beatless segments. It's a singularly bold step forward however, and opens up many new possibilities for Bass Clef.

Bass Clef - Rollercoasters of the Heart / So Cruel

Bass Clef - Rollercoasters of the Heart / So Cruel (Punch Drunk / out now)

The summer has landed! our very favourite trombonist / dub manipulator Bass Clef drops in with two unique dub-techno variants for Peverelist's Punch Drunk label. As his live shows will attest, Bass Clef isn't one to rely on heavy amounts of technology, prefering to spin simple drum loops and augment them with live improvisations; Rollercoasters takes on similar format, with it's basis in a simple, quaking bassline and a jump-up beat, throwing in chopped-up vocals and a euphoric piano riff. Two parts classic rave to one part Scientist-esque dub work, it's weirdly offbeat, earth-shakingly heavy and totally awesome. So Cruel sees Bass Clef reinterpreting the hard-nosed styles of UK bass bass music in his own loping fashion, throwing in not only a speaker-wobbling sub, but a melodic bassline over the top and scattering a loose percussive pattern across the mix. There's hints of UK funky in the skittery R'n'B inflected vocals, but as usual it's surreal, deep and mildly confusing. Much like Barry Lynn's Boxcutter project, Bass Clef is a truly unique proposition that proves impossible to pin down, and despite this being vaguely in line with Punch Drunks previous releases, Rollercoasters of the Heart is something totally new for Punch Drunk.

V/A - Worth The Weight; Bristol Dubstep Classics

V/A - Worth The Weight; Bristol Dubstep Classics
After 5 years, 20 releases and an unmeasurable impact on the club scene, Punch Drunk release a pretty comprehensive retrospective that ties up the best of garage, dubstep, grime etc in a satisfyingly hefty package. As the subtitle suggests, Worth the Weight isn't exactly a Punch Drunk sampler, and takes in dubstep tunes from Skull Disco, Tectonic and Planet Mu to demonstrate the depth of Bristolian bass music. The tracklist is undoubtedly impressive - Smith & Mighty's Bi Line Fi Blow is a total anthem, the RSD compilation (represented on this disc by Pretty Bright Lights) was a cornerstone of dubstep's evolution, and the Guido and Gemmy tunes are purple wow bangers waiting to be pushed into public consciousness again. With 24 tracks, including a few lesser known items from the likes of Komonazmuk, Hyetal and and Dubkasm, the depth of focus is nothing short of epic, and Worth the Weight manages combine the best of Bristolian to stunning effect. Thankfully, the urge to put all the anthems on one disk is avoided - Skull Disco is represented by Appleblim's Vansan, rather the massively over-rinsed Blood on My Hands or Stalker, whilst it's second-stringer Joker tunes like Holly Brook Park and Stuck in the System, rather than Snake Eater that make up the majority of the compilation.

For value and quality, it's hard to quibble over, but in their desire to capture all of Bristol, Punch Drunk seem to have missed off a couple of classics- notably, the inclusion of only one RSD track, when his blend of wubba-bass and crisp dub is some of the best some of the best music to emerge from Bristol. Then again, looking up some of the originals on Discogs, it's evident that my tastes aren't entirely in line with the rest of the world on this one. Orchestral Lab is one of my least favourite tunes from Punch Drunk - the whole pseudo-symphonic sound feels like being stuck in some mawkish Hollywood slop - yet it's fetching up to £35 for a mint-condition on Discogs, whilst Pinch's brooding Qawwali (in my mind, one of the disk's finest cuts, and one Planet Mu's seminal discs) is easily available and has recieved much less attention.

As a dubstep primer, or just a good collection of digital tracks, this is definitely worth picking up, but there's a great amount of trawling to be done to fill in the blanks the compilation leaves.

Ekoplekz - Stalag Zero / Distended Dub

Ekoplekz - Stalag Zero / Distended Dub (Punch Drunk)
Wow. Punch Drunk's 20th release, following on from their four year compilation Worth The Weight (to be reviewed once I get my promo copy) is a massive departure from previous releases. I've loved the stuff Punch Drunk have put out from the likes of Joker, Gemmy, Pinch et al, but this is totally different to anything that's gone before. No syncopated percussion, no wobble bass, no purple wow synths; Ekoplekz makes experimental electronic music with just enough distinct rhythm and percussion to avoid the "noise" bracket. His productions are created using tape recorders, broken electronic equipment and rare analogue machinery, and remind me of Cabaret Voltaire, Throbbing Gristle or Einsturzende Neubauten. Punch Drunk have always been a dubstep label, but the only contemporary of Ekoplekz' warped drones I can think of is the recent Chris Carter re-issue on Optimo music, or the darker works of Machinefabriek. Loop-heavy, squalling electro based around extending and contracting samples that feel like the groaning lungs of some gigantic machine. Awesome.

Limited to 300 copies with the definite disclaimer that "No reissue means no reissue"

Superisk - Find your Way / Mensah remix

Mmm... Punch Drunk. Shallowrave like Punch Drunk. Punch Drunk makes the list of "shit-that's-hip-but-also-awesome" with big names, big 12"s and excellent quality control. Having been behind some of the best 12"s from Pinch, Peverelist, Gemmy etc, they've staked their place in the contemporary bass music scene. Latest 12" Find Your Way is pretty awesome too - building from a Carpenter-esque piano and violin combo into a shuffling two-step rhythm imbued with pitch-bent purple wow synths. Heavy bass and a garagey beat ensure this is going to find a place in my record boxes, but it's the tension between the delicacy of the rolling piano riff and the wildly destabilising bassline that makes Find Your Way a surefure winner.
On the flip, the Mensah remix adds in a clattering snare and barking hype vocals, making for a less cerebral and more banging rework. Retaining the melodies of the original, it's still a killer track, and will probably crop up on more playlists than the original will manage. Good package there.