With releases on DSCI4, 117, Dread and more Dioptrics is back once again on his Machinist Music label with his SHANK EP and he is set for maximum devastation. Considering his ‘Heavyweight’ on DSCI4 was one of my favorite releases of 2015, it isn’t too much of a stretch that I am already a huge fan of this latest EP. Staying true to the Machinist Music’s mission of having one foot in the sounds of classic drum and bass and one foot in pushing the boundaries of the sound of tomorrow, these three tracks offer pure sonic truth for the true believers of drum and bass.
The title track ‘Shank” starts it off with a clean rolling break with slow sweeps that leads you racing towards the unknown as distorted and metallic bass stabs crash into you as the song unfolds with crisp drum fills and mysterious strings that float in and out. This is the perfect soundtrack to driving very fast and very late on a starless night. Next up is the standout track on the EP for me, ‘Retaliate’. This one gets after it from the start with a straightforward stepper break and nice amen edits along the way. He then adds in some layered ethereal strings until the change up hits and that nasty bass line just drops. The pace is almost instantly picked up and this one rolls out with equal parts funk and grit. This one is driving but not over the top. It sets a great vibe to jam the dance floor but doesn’t beat you up in the process. This is the type of sound and vibe I think of when I hear the term Drum and Bass.
The last cut of the EP is ‘Isolation’. Compared to the other two tracks on the release this one is the more subdued of the three but don’t let that fool you. This one creates its own room and space with really well-placed bass and distorted synth stabs that all have different levels of reverb and delay on them that creates a spacious sonic soundscape to get lost in, all while keeping pace and moving forward.
This ep is out on May 31st and worth every penny of its price. This is solid, airtight classic tech step aimed at the year 2046…
If you don’t just take my word for it, here is some of the buzz around it:
Trace – Triple Sick from the one like Dioptrics
Quadrant and Iris – Solid ep from Dioptrics , Isolation is the one!
Zere – EP sounding heavy! Isolation is def my favorite track
RMS – loving this ep its dark moody techy rollers and has that golden age era feel to it, isolation is the tune for me if i had to pick one.
Jaybee – Dope Ep ! if you like your beats rollin and your bass heavy this ep will do it for you 100%
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10
