Articles
Spotlight 10
Ten Favourite Labels 2013
Albums
52 Commercial Road
Chantal Acda
David Åhlén
Daniel Bortz
Peter Broderick
Brass Mask
bvdub / bvdub & loscil
Colorlist
Dale Cooper Quartet
Cuushe
Jack Dangers
Deco
Deetron
DFRNT
Egbert
The Foreign Exchange
Nils Frahm
Bjarni Gunnarsson
Robert Haigh
Marihiko Hara & Polar M
John Heckle
Arve Henriksen
Joy Wellboy
Kaboom Karavan
KILN
Land of Kush
Jessy Lanza
Last Days
L.B. Dub Corp
Lights Dim with Gallery Six
Livity Sound
Moskitoo
MUfi.re
Oddisee
Om Unit
Ø [Phase]
Raudive
Matana Roberts
Sakamoto + Deupree
Secret Pyramid
Quentin Sirjacq
Sleeper
Sonicbrat
Special Request
Stratosphere & Serries
Thisquietarmy
Ricardo Tobar
Tom Trago
Compilations / Mixes
Foundland
In The Dark
Mathias Kaden
EPs / Cassettes / Singles
Anduin
Anile / Lm1 & Kharm
Cursa
Gerwin & Nuage ft. 2Shy
Hessien
Jon McMillion
Miaou
CD-Vinyl-DVD
Seaman and Tattered Sail
Cursa: Flange / Sister P
Protect Audio
Cursa's latest single proves that it's more than possible for a ten-minute release to make a lasting impression. The brainchild of London-based duo Kit Maloney and Tim Ogilvie-Harris, Cursa specializes in a particularly dynamic brand of drum'n'bass, as shown by the two cuts on this Protect Audio outing.
A bold and dramatic opener, “Flange” finds a portentous horn phrase setting a menacing mood—the proverbial calm before the storm—before a rapid wind-up detonates in a brutal series of spasmodic jungle-styled drum breaks and writhing bass throbs. Maloney and Ogilvie-Harris demonstrate a sophisticated sense of pacing in scaling things back for a mid-track breakdown before having the skittering drums and bass elements roar back in to re-establish the dread-filled vibe. A tad less furious is the B-side's “Sister P,” which, like the opener, starts menacingly with dark industrial atmospherics before a towering bass pulse lunges in at the one-minute mark, the drums following close behind. While the pace is less frenetic and the lurching groove funkier, the second tune proves to be as sophisticated as the first in its sound design and again shows an artful handling of pacing. Based on the evidence at hand, a larger serving of Cursa material wouldn't be unwelcome.November 2013