Various Artists – Future Foundations

Label: 2^nd Drop

Since its inception focusing on leftfield dubstep in 2007, 2^nd Drop has done a remarkable job of keeping up with the scene, seemingly always a step ahead. While their releases haven’t always garnered a huge amount of attention, it’s not for a lack of quality: over twenty releases they’ve tackled a broad array of styles along the bass spectrum with great releases from the likes of Ramadanman, Sully and Gerry Read, alongside key early releases from DjRum and South London Ordnance. For their first compilation, the London label sticks largely to 4/4 excursions, offering a varied and impressive selection of exclusive tunes from label alumni and newcomers alike.

Mancunian Alex Coulton kicks things off with his 2^nd Drop debut (following a nice slab of wax on Hypercolour) in the form of the percussive workout Grande Swing. Fans will recognise Coulton’s off-grid beat patterns and spare arrangement, here coming together in a tough house flex made of metallic clanks, scifi synthwork and a range of nuanced effects that keep things interesting. More club material is supplied by Pedestrian, whose uncharacteristically straight Sliding Down Rainbows is a menacing assault of shuttering beats and a nasty bass bounce, bristling with impressively coherent sonic details and a softened two-note synth loop that adds a key melodic element. Later penultimate inclusion Daphne marks South London Ordnance’s return to the label, with a tough techy exercise typically focused on the low-end.

Low-key house cuts with the requisite RnB vocal snips are provided by Youandewan and Last Magpie, a pair of producers who have both honed their atmospheric cuts down to a tee in the last few years. Youandewan’s Faith comes out as the more impressive number, breathing life into a familiar sample. Here he follows up a tasteful EP on Hypercolour with a spacious 9-minute odyssey of misty synthwork, rattling percussive accents and mood to spare. Last Magpie takes a similar approach on the downbeat Without You, all rattling 2step, ghosted vocals and dubbed-out synth stabs, but without Youandewan’s effortless knack for atmosphere, his contribution ends up lacking a real sense of progression.

The three remaining tracks are the odd ones out, the tunes that sidestepped expectations somewhat. LV enlist the honeyed reggae vocal chops of Dan Bowskill for a sensuous burner on Livin Up, where syrupy horns and soft vocal harmonies make for a surprising oasis amidst the compilation’s harder dance material. The closer is left to Manni Dee & Deft, who throw a curveball with the frantic workout of This One, The Art of the Possible. Despite the vocal sample’s discussion of garage and hardcore, this one is all about footwork, an impressively structured and distinctively British take on the genre.

While many of these are great offerings, 2^nd Drop regular DjRum effortlessly steals the show with his phenomenal Blue On Blue (Voodoo). A stunning collage of pitch-perfect vocal and musical samples are twinned with growling bassweight and off-kilter rhythms, all patched together into a lush symphonic piece which descends in its finale quarter into a beautiful collision of dubbed-out vocals and operatic harmonies. Given time, Blue On Blue takes the proud place of a highlight among highlights. Overall there’s not much material here to challenge what we know as the 2^nd Drop sound, Future Foundations is more a feat of consolidation, drawing together the label’s different styles and returning to some its past contributors. As such, it stands as a consistent and enjoyable dissection of one of London’s definite labels that clearly still has so much left to give.

7.5/10

February Roundup 2013

It's been a bumper month, here's White Noise's selection of Feburary's best dance singles.

Remember to follow White Noise on Facebook and Twitter to get daily doses of great tunes, old and new.

Tracklist:

Motor City Drum Ensemble - Send A Prayer Pt. 1

Leon Vynehall - Untitled 017 [EP Review]

Kyodai - The Scene [Single Review]

Garage $ale - Bump N Grind (Waze & Odyssey Mix)

Artifact - The Way It Do [EP Review]

Benjamin Damage - 010x [Album Review]

Call Super - Threshing Floor [EP Review]

Boddika & Joy Orbison - Mercy (Boddika's VIP)

Moiré - Lose It feat. Heidi Vogel [EP Review]

Powell - A Band

A Made Up Sound - Ahead [Single Review]

KH - The Track I've Been Playing...

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And here are a few other essentials we couldn't find on Youtube:

∆ ∆ - You [EP Review]

Youandewan - Disarray [EP Review]

Spare - Spare Room Offence

Jus Now - Tun Up

Enjoy!

Youandewan – Disarray

Label: Hype Ltd

Though the year is still young, there has been a strong trend of great releases hovering on the border between dance music and home listening, particularly on the foggy spectrum between house and bass music. The likes of Leon Vynehall and ∆ ∆ have already offered some great variations on this hazy middle ground, and the latest release on Hypercolour’s low-key sister imprint seems set to continue these deeper explorations with style. The new addition comes courtesy of Ewan Smith, an assured purveyor of deep sounds whose sporadic release schedule has been outpaced by a series of notable DJ sets and great remixes. Disarray is the young producer’s first solo release in over a year, and the restrained elegance of these almost-club tracks should assure fans that it was worth the wait.

Disarray / Awn / Undrstnd / 0500

The EP kicks off with title track Disarray, where Youandewan’s textured beats sink beneath melancholic synth washes and sensuous, half-heard vocals. A soaring 303 bassline takes centre stage here, snaking through the soundfield and adding a subdued emotive drive to the track. Second cut Awn is similarly impressive, a more energetic variation on the theme where another subtle beat pattern holds down drowned RnB vocals and an uneasy synth wash. The sounds here are spare but expertly applied, showing a keen attention to space, while each sonic element is textured and rich, from the growling basslines to the organic drum samples.

Undrstnd starts as another languid number, introducing sunken vocals and blue synth notes before a swollen bassline breaks the pattern, introducing sharp technoid hi-hats that shake off the chilled-out atmosphere of the A-side. Closer 0500 is another more propulsive number, anchored by a sharp kick-clap combo that allows the mid-range to explore shimmering synth work and more ghosted vocals. Although Disarray keeps up its melancholic tone and doesn't contain any radical variation, Youandewan has a knack for mood and restraint that many of his contemporaries lack, making this EP one that you’ll keep returning to on and off the dancefloor.

8/10
See this review in context on Inverted Audio