BANDSHELL Schallplatten & CDs

Review: Having shot into the limelight in 2012 with a 12" on Hessle Audio followed up by an outing on Liberation Technologies, Bandshell has since been on covert operations largely centred around releasing his music himself via Bandcamp. Now he's extended that practice into the B.S.Hell label, providing a physical presence to his wayward experimentation on the fringes of bass music. It's a sound that naturally aligns with the likes of Batu and Laksa, but also defiantly makes its own statement as well. With five tracks of distinctive drum science and textural voodoo to indulge in, this is a welcome return to wax for a thrilling, self-motivated producer.

Review: Following an intriguing turn from Laurel Halo side-project King Felix and the return of Regis and Surgeon's British Murder Boys, Mute sub-label Liberation Technologies returns with Caustic View, probably its strongest outing to date and the second record from Hessle Audio's Bandshell. Its name seems only too appropriate given the sonic quality of lead track "Winton" which sounds like Metasplice remixing Maurice Fulton's Syclops project - though the sonar-like tones of "Perc" show the Northener to be equally capable of more contemplative moments too. "Nice Mullet" actually manages to outdo Pangaea in the contemporary pirate radio jungle stakes, complete with grimy subs and drums caked in rust, while the slumped techno of closer "Landfill" is as claustrophobic as anything on his Hessle debut. Make no mistake, this is a stunning record.

Review: Hessle Audio's emergence from hibernation in 2012 really has seen the label release some of the most extraordinary music of its life, and this EP from Bandshell might top the lot. Tapping into the grainy, murky sound world of the like of STL, Shed and Actress, this record explores strange rhythms constantly on the verge of breaking out into a frenzy. The title track is comprised of little more than rattling percussion and dense, fizzy bass, while "Rise 'Em" places a jungle breakbeat atop a mucky hum. On the flip, "Metzger" takes the vibe of classic dubstep and fills it with subtle melodies and clipped snares, but "Dog Sweater" is the real killer - a homage to soundsystem culture whose threadbare rhythms are the only thing to stop you being dragged into the track's viscous centre. Make no mistake, this is a serious new talent.