Cargo Records

Split

In a volatile face-off between two kinetically charged contemporary electronics producers, this combination mash up, dancehall destruction, hip hop malfunktion and structural deconstruction assures a suitably intense future for soundclash battles. A thinly disguised audio abattoir masquerading as a six-track EP, this explosive exchange steals the tools of the dub and dancehall trade for maximum disorientation. Weapons are set to stun, and artificial genre divides are militantly blitzed.

"Imitator," a caustic collaboration by The Bug (aka Kevin Martin of Techno Animal) with UK dub guru The Rootsman that triggers yardcore chaos with hyper-ragga headrush, combines a relentless, military snare roll worthy of the mighty Streetsweeper rhythm, power electronics capable of drowning out Whitehouse, and an unfeasibly elasticated bassline that would rival Mr. Oizo for booty-swinging funk. It's got serrated, low-end punch and Daddy Freddy's homicidal chants, while head-jamming special effects and ear-shredding sirens amplify the panic attack. The stripped down "Version" illuminates the dance floor directive while the Raw Meat mix of "Run The Place Red" has Daddy Freddy at his most vicious and hardcore.

DJ /Rupture returns with three tracks as complex and compelling as his jaw-dropping DJ sets. "Paloma Grease" is a high-speed headbanger in his ruffneck reggae / R&B style. Electro sub-bass weaves around his infectious, danceable drum programming, with hip-hop breakdowns and light instrumentation rounding things. "Into the Ohio River" and "Pitfall" feature poet Elizabeth Alexander, a prominent young voice in black America's energetic literary scene, whose topical, playful texts match the former track's slinky, harmonic polyriddims and melodic IDM edits fused with Rupture's otherworldly sampler arrangements. The latter draws on the bass-heavy Jamaican minimalism of King Tubby's Firehouse-era productions, catching Rupture in a relaxed but wary down-tempo mood, perfect for fans of neo-dub such as Chain Reaction/Rhythm & Sound. Alexander injects sexy wit with her poem loosely about the M.O.V.E. incident in Philadelphia.

Track Listing

The Bug vs. The Rootsman feat. Daddy Freddy:

1. Imitator
2. Imitator - Version

DJ Rupture:

4. Into the Ohio River
5. Paloma Grease
6. Pitfall