As bass music producers continue their exodus away from the mainstream glare of dubstep, other musical tropes are being explored. Skream's newfound affinity for disco and house has been well documented, while his co-conspirator Benga has gone a step further and packed in DJing for good. But when it comes to the labels that traditionally operated at the outer reaches of the genre — the abstract sounds of Hessle Audio, Apple Pips, Hemlock (Untold's own label) et al. — the template they are now drawing from is noticeably darker, centred on the pulsating sounds of industrial and warehouse techno.
Black Light Spiral is an uncomfortable listen, put together over a sticky July under what Dunning describes as "intense pressure, heat and steam." It's the sound of machines in meltdown. Created almost exclusively with vintage hardware, Dunning's desire was to depart from the precise and clipped nature of DAW produced music and into the randomised analogue palette that is used to such devastating effect here on "Sing A Love Song" or the more dance floor-friendly "Strange Dreams."
This is certainly not a record for everybody — even fans of Untold's previous oeuvre will be surprised by the bleakness and dystopian rumblings exhibited here — but for those who like their electronic music pitch black, this is for you.
Read an interview with Jack Dunning (a.k.a. Untold) here.
(Hemlock)Black Light Spiral is an uncomfortable listen, put together over a sticky July under what Dunning describes as "intense pressure, heat and steam." It's the sound of machines in meltdown. Created almost exclusively with vintage hardware, Dunning's desire was to depart from the precise and clipped nature of DAW produced music and into the randomised analogue palette that is used to such devastating effect here on "Sing A Love Song" or the more dance floor-friendly "Strange Dreams."
This is certainly not a record for everybody — even fans of Untold's previous oeuvre will be surprised by the bleakness and dystopian rumblings exhibited here — but for those who like their electronic music pitch black, this is for you.
Read an interview with Jack Dunning (a.k.a. Untold) here.
