Intrusion

As one half of Echospace (along with Rod Modell), Steve Hitchell scored a massive hit out of the box with The Coldest Season. That is, if super-minimal, oceanic electronics with beats so sparse they risk evaporation can truly be called "massive." As Intrusion, he travels with a more traditional portmanteau of dub beats, though they are still well-insulated for the winter chill. Opener "Montego Bay" isn't exactly dubstep but its up-tempo footprint is reminiscent of System and Jan Jelinek's spacier moments on the ~Scape label. Paul St. Hilaire, who is fast supplanting Horace Andy in the guest reggae artist role, appears on "Little Angel" and "Angel Version" to allow his vocals to faintly bleed into the mix. "Intrusion Dub" shuffles over a straight-up 4/4 beat that will have purists scratching their dreads until they give in and dance. Echospace fans will maintain a contact high from the waves of fluttery sighs that drift through "A Night to Remember." If your climate is more conducive to snow forts than sandcastles this should be your seasonal choice in dub plates.