Peverelist: Infinity is Now
Tectonic

Peverelist's Infinity is Now is dubstep more by label association than musical character—a good thing for both artist and the Bristol-based Tectonic imprint as such releases help prevent dubstep from solidifying into a too-predictable set of stylistic motifs. One thing's for sure: the formidable material on Peverelist's 12-inch is anything but immobile. Powered by a charging shuffle rhythm that keeps the feel off-kilter throughout, “Infinity is Now” is stabilized by a recurring snare snap that kicks as forcefully as a bucking stallion, swizzling keyboard patterns, and a bounding bass line that chugs as determinedly as a racing heartbeat. The flip side's “Junktion” may be slightly less frenetic but it too ratchets up the tension with its de-centered skittering pulse and druggy dub effects. How significant that the release's closest tie to conventional dubstep arrives two minutes in when serpentine bass wobble begins writhing alongside the flickering keyboard whirligig.

April 2008