Continuing the recent exciting experiments in the footwork/jungle continuum, Bristol's Coleco is the latest in a line of producers to couple the nihilistic thump of footwork with the breakneck break-mangling and tectonic subs of jungle. It's a natural partnering, and Coleco plays with the concept beautifully.
The title track couples Middle Eastern melodic sensibilities with grime sonics, all buzzsaw synths and minaret-rattling sub stabs, to devastating effect. Fellow weirdo DnB producer Om Unit — who really set the bar earlier in the year with the release of his LP, Threads — gives "Focus 10" a dubby, maximalist workout in his remix. It's B-side "Ambivalence" that is the real winner here, though, an uneasy roller of quite epic proportions. The insistence of scattershot percussion and muted chords makes this a thinking man's piece, and those who allow the subtle shuffling of the beats and eeriness of the clanging metallic melody to wash over them will be greatly rewarded. The Adam Elemental remix on the flipside is just the icing on the cake, with Elemental going in on the atmospheric breaks.
(Runtime Records)The title track couples Middle Eastern melodic sensibilities with grime sonics, all buzzsaw synths and minaret-rattling sub stabs, to devastating effect. Fellow weirdo DnB producer Om Unit — who really set the bar earlier in the year with the release of his LP, Threads — gives "Focus 10" a dubby, maximalist workout in his remix. It's B-side "Ambivalence" that is the real winner here, though, an uneasy roller of quite epic proportions. The insistence of scattershot percussion and muted chords makes this a thinking man's piece, and those who allow the subtle shuffling of the beats and eeriness of the clanging metallic melody to wash over them will be greatly rewarded. The Adam Elemental remix on the flipside is just the icing on the cake, with Elemental going in on the atmospheric breaks.