Millie & Andrea: Blackhammer / Gunshot
Daphne

Speculation has it that Martyn (Dutch-born producer Martijn Deykers) and Ikonika are the collaborative guns firing behind Millie and Andrea (Ikonika's “Millie” recently appeared on a Hyperdub 12-inch). All guessing games aside, the two cuts comprising the 12-inch are stunners no matter who's doing the knob-twirling. Dubstep distilled down to its bass-crawling essence, “Black Hammer” intertwines the slow bump'n'grind of a clanking machine with a vocal effect of interstitial perplexity until the two give way to a massive lurching pulse and an even more massive bass presence. It's monstrous in the best sense of the word, and the sound the two cook up calls to mind the image of a colossal beast lumbering through a city while its citizens scatter, horrified to witness their cars and buildings being laid to waste. The B-side's chest-rattling “Gunshot” plunges even deeper into the low-end with a skeletal bass and hi-hat combination setting the stage for aqueous dub chords to writhe and twist overtop. The bass alone might blow out your speakers but the tune's worth the risk. A full album of equally powerful material would be welcome indeed.

January 2009