Acid Lab: Replicant / Our Meditation / Relics
In-Reach Records
Wagz: Grey Blue Skies / Whiplash
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If the IDM label weren't already looked upon with derision by so many listeners and practitioners, I'd suggest something similar should be coined to properly acknowledge the artistry of certain drum'n'bass artists, Acid Lab among them. On this first release from the nascent In-Reach Records, the German producer's tracks hit hard, but they're also artful as all get out; no reticence, in other words, should be felt about calling it Intelligent drum'n'bass. On all three, snares hit like a punch to the gut, while the bass drum hits like a sledgehammer.
“Replicant” opens innocently enough with a simple hi-hat swish and sci-fi atmospherics before an intricate groove takes charge that blends raw drum'n'bass with amen-inflected jungle. The truly stunning moment arrives two minutes in, however, when the full power of the cut's unleashed and the groove strikes with the brutal force of a taser. In the middle slot, “Our Meditation” initially stokes an alien vibe in slathering its kick drum with simmering hi-hats before ragga vocals and pulsating dub bass lines see the cut blossom into a dark stepper. The tribal roller “Relics” is the release's hardest-hitter, if one's using the thud of the bass drum as a barometer, and lest anyone doubt the artfulness of the material, consider the near-subliminal skip Acid Lab adds to the snare as proof. Admittedly, there's nothing on the EP that hasn't been heard before, but the way Acid Lab stitches the elements together is masterful.
Wagz's latest single on Silent Dust's label is artful, too, if in a slightly different way. The beats lean more to neurofunk than drum'n'bass per se, though the point's minor: his tracks also hit hard. Sliding in on a shimmering synthetic wave, “Whiplash” opens in deep ambient mode before the first beat pattern kicks in, spinning rapidly in place until a massive bass throb and a second beat, this one considerably nastier, take over. A mid-song breakdown sees Wagz reinstating the intro, after which the cut-throat groove reappears, now even more lethally equipped. Rather liquidy by comparison, “Grey Blue Skies” oozes radiance in its relaxed, soulful strut. Wagz shows just how much can serenity can be achieved using minimal means when, one minute into this rapturous ride, he augments the lightly skipping groove with a simple three-note bass motif, well-placed piano sprinkles, and loads of atmosphere. The two-tracker is a mere ten minutes in total, but Wagz makes every moment count.July 2018