Log1n - Brain Dead EP (Grid Recordings)

Log1n is a French producer who has been making dnb since 1999 and with releases on Dutty Audio, Grid, Defkon 1 and Impact Music. His latest release comes on Grid Recordings. They have boasted some serious talent on this label over the years and a lot of output. They cover anything from rolling dnb to that dirty dancefloor sound. Let’s take a look at Log1n’s release called the Brain dead EP.

Gotta Know Something – It’s got that classic vibe. Sounds straight out of bristol to be fair, think Krust or DJ Die in feel. It’s upbeat with some darkness. The bass hits are sharp and decisive and the beats are super crisp. It’s complimented by some nice rhodes styles chords and some airy saxaphone musings. The break is pretty minimal but does the trick. A few nice vocal hits and a techy laced sub provides plenty of movement in this roller as the drop takes us through to the end with good execution.

Burning Pants – First off kudos on the track title! The tune itself starts pretty minimal but again has a jazzy feel created by some stabby trumpet sounds. It drops into a dark roller but with a bit of swing introduced pretty quickly with some lush percussion. The vocal is of the ragga variety and this adds some authenticity to a piece that again you might associate with the classic era of dnb, in particular that Bristol sound. The break is really sub focused and this bleeds well into the 2nd drop which is very bass heavy and this creates lots of energy and movement. It is important to note that this is still very musical and some of the sections are quite dark and moody. He has left a lot of headroom despite all these sounds going off, and this would lend itself very well to be mixed in a set or just to allow the tune to breathe independently.

7th Floor – This is my favourite tune on the EP personally. It starts with a hat and some busy street sounds which create a nice atmosphere. It feels dark and eerie as we go into a cool vocal and the sense of foreboding continues as we build into a drop which doesn’t disappoint. It’s got a jump up feel but again owing a lot to the early era music. Perhaps early 2000 Dillinja or Twisted Individual influences could be heard here. The drums are really solid and the drum fills fit perfectly. The bass is distorted and squelchy in places and has an aggressive undertone. some of the percussion patterns are very intelligent and clever in there construction. Log1n has lots of skill and a great understanding of the genre and this is on show in this tune. I think this one will gain a lot of interest and be a perfect tune for most DJ sets.

John Doe – After making a comparison with Twisted Individual on the last track I found myself laughing as I load up the track and realise it is a collab with the man himself! This is a bit more heavy and somewhere between a roller and a jump up tune. It’s cheeky in places, hard hitting with cool fills and bass sounds. There is a good mix of modern foghorns and some old skool samples. It’s not as technical as 7th floor but along the same lines and is pretty solid.

Brain Dead – The tune starts with a moody feel and develops nicely as it builds through evolving drums and a cool vocal into a pretty funky and gnarly drop. There is lots of swing and some cool fill ideas. The mid break is a little awkward in places and prob a bit short. I think an extra moody 16 bars before this would have been the way to go as the transition is a bit harsh. The next drop is almost got neurofunk vibes with lots of reese bass and a more distorted take on the opening drop. It shows good variation but seems to come to an end a bit too abruptly and could of done with another 16 or 32 incorporating some of the first drop I think or at least some pad ideas. at least a more musical outro rather than just stopping.

Feels Like – My main issue with this tune is the vocal. It’s very familiar and very obvious as to where it came from but only uses 3 of the words, and frankly it’s annoying not to hear the whole phrase. I know there would be copywrite issues incurred but the tune would be better with either the whole vocal or no vocal. The vocal doesn’t really fit the tune musically either and is a bit redundant. The tune itself has a kind of liquid intro that goes into a classic jungle break. The energy is high and the production is pretty solid without having a wow factor. I think the issue here is the length of the EP. The first 4 tracks seem like a perfect fit together where as these last 2 seem to tail off a bit and have been tacked on to the end. They are still both solid pieces of work but without the intelligence and creativity of the first 4.

Overall a very decent EP with a the first 4 tracks standing out in particular. If you like your classic era dnb you will love it. If you are into that modern roller sound you will love it too. It’s though provoking, groovy, intelligent and vibes. I think it should get a lot of plays from DJ’s as the tunes will mix well with other tracks. Look forward to hearing more music from Log1n and from Grid Recordings!