[COMBAT 10] : DARK HORSE DUBS
operatives :: ScanOne | wee djs | Blackmass Plastics
release :: Autumn 2006
format :: 4 track vinyl E.P.
distribution:: Veto Music Ltd [contact]
Tracklist:
A1 ScanOne - Dark Dub VIP
A2 ScanOne - Dubwise
B1 ScanOne - Kik It (wee djs remix)
B2 ScanOne - Kik It (Blackmass Plastics VIP)
Spurred on by the need for fierce rhythms and bassline pressure, the past 2 years has seen the fringes of grime, electro and dubstep converging to give forward-thinking DJs a vicious, mutant new sound that’s intricate, spacious and colossally bass-heavy. This EP unites these different schools of thought once and for all, over 4 tracks of surgically precise, monstrous bass-weapons honed to perfection by the Combat clan.
Dark Horse Dubs’ 2nd track Dubwise was previewed as a VIP track on Breezeblock May 2006, while the wee DJ’s remix of Kik It was played on the same show in July 2006.
Now doing the rounds via a handful of test presses among the Combat clan and it’s allies in the electro and dubstep communities, autumn 2006 sees this sonic punishment tool unleashed upon dancefloors everywhere.
:::: [A1 - Dark Dub VIP] ::::
[listen]
Sounding like a gigantic killing machine stalking across some barren, apocalyptic landscape, side A begins with Dark Dub, a beast of a track with a rudeboy bassline snarling barely inches from your face like a restrained Rottweiler. Incorporating a hint of an old skool Photek-style drum break amid smouldering, spacious atmospheres reminiscent of Scorn’s isolationist headspaces, Dark Dub moves with a warrior’s trained, measured grace that belies it’s sheer intimidating bulk and strength. Leaning toward the Vex’d and Scorn schools of production, ScanOne’s succinctly programmed thunderous half-step rhythms send shockwaves that leave you reeling with each colossal beat. Wait for the drop into bass-mangled hell… and expect no survivors.
:::: [A2 - Dubwise] ::::
[listen]
Less brutal but no less evil, Dubwise took form after ScanOne’s electro and dubstep influences mingled, allowing his long-time influences like Basic Channel and King Tubby to re-emerge across the years, all teched-up in a post-apocalyptic Bladerunner style.
Personally requested for airplay on Radio One, it’s a delicate work of skittering dub-delayed rhythms, dizzying heights and cavernous, wide-open spaces. Yet beneath this seemingly fragile exterior lies a core of solid steel – razor sharp snares lash out over a thundering bass-roller that calls to mind standing next to the speaker stack at the Brixton Rec, where the low frequencies nearly cause flesh to fall off your bones. Sombre, majestically sad strings rise from the depths mid track, placing the track in a unique timespan between it’s old dub roots and ScanOne’s futuristic sci-fi vision.
:::: [B1 - Kik It - wee djs' VIP] ::::
[listen]
Better known for his nightmarish electro assaults on Gassoline Records, ScSi AV and Touchin Bass imprints, Edinbugh’s wee djs have long been involved in the deep, experimental side of electro with soundsytem heaviness providing space and texture unique within their field.
Presented with the challenge of re-working ScanOne’s grime/electro hybrid Kik It (from COMBAT01), they tore down the original and rebuilt it totally to give a charging behemoth that’s so vicious, it's already destroyed a few bassbins here and abroad during sound-testing. Starting off with lopsided 2-step rhythms, intricate bleeps and skittering, razor sharp electro elements creep into the mix.
:::: [B2 - Kik It - Blackmass Plastics VIP] ::::
[listen]
A special 2-stage remix, this one. After taking ScanOne’s original Kik It through the wee djs mutation process, Thorn Industries’ head honcho Blackmass Plastics steps up to mangle and reinforce the track even further in his trademark style.
Sounding like something out of a south London gutter in the year 2020, it’s an articulate, violent bass beast, casually prowling with angular dubstep rhythms through a menacing sci-fi atmosphere, brandishing it’s distorted bass blasts like a sharpened knife, ready to lunge at the slightest provocation.
further info:
www.combatrecordings.com
myspace.com/combatsoundsystem
. 2nd drop on Dark dub is too much, also feeling the blackmass remix.
