http://reviews.headphonecommute.com/201 ... bian-blak/
Open up your eyes [and ears] – let me introduce you to Debian Blak. The moniker may be new, but behind the name, Leeds-based Rowan Perkins has been producing since the age of 16. In 2010, Perkins was selected from a group of emerging artists for the AKG Scholarship of Sound in Berlin, and it looks like a little polishing has done wonders to his sound. On A Hint of Menace, an EP released by First Word Records and available for FREE from bandcamp, Blak chops up the vocals through a rhythmic grinder of bass heavy beats. Musicality remains at the center of the six tracks, where the song structure is rigid enough for the rhythm hungry dance-floor, yet flexible to fit comfortably into your headphones. Building up on foundations laid by Jai Paul and Mount Kimbie, with a hint of Brainfeeder’s hip-hop flava and its founder Flying Lotus, the sound of the EP is a torturing teaser for all of the great things to come out of this producer. Perhaps none of the influences are as audible as James Blake, especially on the track “Leave Me Alone” where the effected pitch-spread vocals create a soulful atmosphere, punctuated by a hollow kick and a thumping bass. Yet, besides the name dropping, I have no doubts that Debian Blak will establish a name all of his own – after all, it is his tracks that I wake up with in the morning already playing in my head. And through my years of listening to music, I’ve learned that it’s a good thing. We have finally arrived at the post-dubstep era with intelligent sound oozing from your bedroom speakers – let Debian Blak show you the way forward.
http://debianblak.bandcamp.com/
