Cardopusher: Mutant Dubstep Vol. 2
Spectral Liquid

The second in Spectraliquid's three-part Mutant Dubstep series, Cardopusher's installment picks up where Ebola's recently left off. Aided by remixers Innasekt and Pacheko, Luis Garban (previously heard on Ad Noiseam, Mirex, Terminal Dusk, and others) is at the helm this time around and proves he's no slouch when it comes to crafting artful twists on the dubstep template. He rolls out the heavy artillery for the opener “Toothsmasher” where electro sputter, tribal rumble, and thudding bass wobble come together to form a ravenous slab of bottom-feeding squelch. The tune grinds and spits like some crazed warthog without ever spinning entirely out of control. With its spectral synth melodies and hammering pulse, “Collapsible Shelter” is more in line with signature dubstep moves but is no less pleasurable for being so. “Cockpit” digs even deeper into the genre's heavier side with whip-crack snares rubbing shoulders with voice fragments and malfunctioning machinery. Innasekt likewise drags “Toothsmasher” down into a low-end mineshaft, bringing traces of breakcore along with him, while Pacheko gives “Collapsible Shelter” a dubbed-out, swizzle-stick makeover replete with voiceover (someone griping about “shitty rave music”). Put simply, Cardopusher's twenty-five minute release upholds the standard established by Ebola's solid opening chapter.

January 2009