VARIOUS ARTISTS
In The North EP
DUSTV017
Dust Science Recordings 2009
04 Tracks. 20mins08secs
Format: Digital

Dubstore Digital: DLD | Amazon UK: DLD Boomkat: DLD iTunes: DLD

After a hiatus of a few months, Dust Science, the label ran by Black Dog current members Martin and Richard Dust, is back with a collective EP featuring tracks by The Black Dog, Grievous Angel, The Bass Soldier and Carl Taylor, each contributing one slice of mighty fine electronic music.

Opening the proceedings are the legendary Black Dog, who have, since the Dust brothers joined force with Ken Downie, wandered freely between classic Detroit-infused techno and more subtle and refined atmospheric electronica. With Tesco (Dark House), they are found on supremely minimal form, invoking the spirit of Perlon more than that of Plus 8 Record, especially in the first half of this rather moody, robust piece. Three and a half minutes in, a floating melody softens the razor-sharp hits of the rhythmic section slightly, but as soon as it vanishes again, and it never surfaces for long, it is back to the austere outline of the beginning. Following closely, and riding on a smooth beat, restricted, yet lush, soundscapes, and hypnotic melody, Carl Taylor’s cut is pure classic Detroit, of the kind that works particularly well as sunrise, once the huge tunes have finished parading their nasty arrogance and gone back in their box, when there’s call for more sophisticated music to provide the last lift of the night. But, very much like it is the case with B12 or The Black Dog, Taylor injects some typical home-grown refinement to give Walk On By a slight English undertone.

The last two tracks, while very different, are resolutely more urban in tone. Grievous Angel’s monster Show Love heavily references dubstep, but with a slight techno slant. This is by far the most aggressive and bad-tempered track on this EP. Playing with dubbey atmospherics placed over a broken beat and sending electroshocks through the whole track, Grievous Angel, a new addition to the Dust Science stable, offers here a hugely angular slice of urban groove from this East London-born DJ and musician. Last in line is The Bass Soldier, an eighteen-year old musician who has so far been credited with a couple of remixes for The Black Dog. His contribution rolls on with a pretty steady beat, but rapidly, a sombre rounded bass line sends this piece into a very different direction. His groove is resolutely greasy and dirty, hinting at 2step and drum’n’bass without actually leaving the confines of techno fully. Quite a gritty conclusion to an EP that collates quite a few different aspects of techno.

4/5

Dust Science Recordings
Dubstore Digital: DLD | Amazon UK: DLD Boomkat: DLD iTunes: DLD

THE BLACK DOG
Remixes 2
DUSTSND006-6
Dust Science 2007
03 Tracks. 21mins33secs
Format: 12”

While they are currently said to be working on a new album, The Black Dog continues to show impeccable form with this second collection of remixes of tracks taken from their excellent Silenced LP released in 2005, courtesy of Orlando Voorn, Derailleur and Vector Lovers, all three taking the superbly crafted original Black Dog template for a spin on the dance floor.

Voorn’s reading of Sudden Intake turns the swelling ambient textures of the original into a refined piece of vintage techno conveyed by a driving beat and sumptuous silky synthetic waves. Voorn retains the dreamy aspect of the Black Dog track, expanding its scope quite drastically by processing the main melodic theme to superb effect, turning it into a hypnotic and haunting piece.

Alt/Return/Dash/Kill, revisited by recent Dust Science signing Derailleur, is a much more hard-edged affair, with sharp angles defining the outer limits of the track, while the more musical elements converge into dense sonic masses at the centre of the spectrum. Very much in line with his own work for Varial and Dust Science, the groove, built around a tribal drum sequence and a round bass line, underlined by short vocal samples, is relentless, effortlessly carrying the rest of the piece across its seven and a half minutes.

With its clean cut rhythmic pattern and dry minimal electro treatment, the Vector Lovers reworking of Machine Machina accentuates the dynamic of the Black Dog piece and emphasises its melody. The result is a warm and breathy piece of minimal German electro which progressively flourish over its course, yet it remains as utterly tight and precise in its most layered section as it is in its more arid parts.

Explore: Dust Science
Buy: Download from Bleep.com