mSdoS: RunDos
Tempo Records

Soul Intent: U Got Me
Tempo Records

Two twelve-inch stormers from Tempo Records, established in 2012 by Dutch drum'n'bass DJ Frodo (Frodo van Steijn). Each slab of crystal-clear vinyl features four cuts, the first a muscular exercise in liquid drum'n'bass by Greek producer mSdoS (Chris Kouzellis) and the second a blistering set from Soul Intent (Alex Judd).

On his Tempo Records debut, Kouzellis uses a formula that while straightforward isn't ineffective. In simplest terms, the typical mSdoS production layers a film-derived voice sample over a charging base, the former detail doing much to individuate one roller from the next. The opening “RunDos,” for example, includes a snippet from Predator, “She says the jungle just came alive and took him,” whereas “Tanaka” works speaking parts from the James Bond classic You Only Live Twice into its liquid frame.

There's certainly no lack of thrust to “RunDos,” especially when a heart-thumping bass throb affixes itself to the charging pulse, and the way Kouzellis threads the voice sample, piano, and synths into the arrangement works well, too; with a mid-song breakdown providing a moment to catch one's breath, the cut's tripartite design is also effective. In keeping with its title, the moody roller “Night Ride” opts for a late-night tour through the sleeping metropolis, with this time an Amen-inflected groove the fuel. Though it too threads a speaking voice sample into its design, “The Duke,” the EP's biggest departure, eschews drum'n'bass for a light-footed stepping groove and, most surprisingly, acidy synth gurgle. Ultimately, though, it's the little touches that help distinguish one track from the next, like the brooding theme voiced in turn by flute and strings during the soaring “Tanaka.”

A DJ since fifteen, Judd received early encouragement from influential figures like Mary Ann Hobbs and Grooverider and now has more than twenty-five vinyl appearances to his credit. U Got Me, his second outing on Tempo, leaves a slightly stronger impression than the set by mSdoS, in large part because the tracks are a tad more creatively structured. The title track folds samples of R&B singer Loletta Holloway from Dan Hartman's 1980 “Love Sensation” (the vocal re-emerging eleven years later in Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch's “Good Vibrations”) into Judd's high-energy design. Familiarity with that “Sweeeet sensation” wail hasn't dulled the impact of Holloway's performance, which stuns once more when paired with jungle-inflected skitter Judd fashioned for it. In similar manner, the closing “Feel Good” underlays a soulful vocal part with a seething bass line and crisp neurofunk groove.

October 2018