SUB BASICS Schallplatten & CDs

Review: London-based Osmura is back with a second outing, this time with Sub Basics at the buttons. Across four fresh tunes, he offers up his vision of techno starting with the dubby and liquid rhythms of sub-aquatic opener 'Colour.' There is more intensity to the silky rhythms and loopy percussion of 'Scope' while 'Splinter' is slower, deeper, and more menacing with searching synth leads. 'Nt' closes out with more weighty and dubby low ends, watery synth sounds and cavernous sound that is rich and immersive.

Review: Steve O'Sullivan's Mosaic label is back with a second volume of its dubs series, this time on nice yellow vinyl with Sub Basics and Fletcher given one side each to shine. Sub Basics goes first with 'Mediterranean', a lovely liquid dub with bottomless depths and perfectly smooth, frictionless drums. Lovely soft melodies drift in and out as the echoing hits and icy hi-hats help oil this most heady of grooves. On the flip, Fletcher offers up 'Sludge' which is a little more tense and menacing, with darker bass and more texture as well as distant groaning pads that keep you guessing and on edge.

Review: Dub techno don Steve O'Sullivan's Mosaic label is back with a new dubs series and vol 1 kicks things off with a real doozy on lovely red wax. The boss himself offers up a Bluetrain special edition dub of Hidden Sequence's 'Synapse' which is all icy lines and liquid rhythms which make you think of some frozen lake on a misty morning. Sub Basics (Temple of Sound, Lion Charge Records) opens up with a fresh dub laden track with rippling chords, tons of echo and rolling drums on 'Quarters.' Both are timeless dub outings, as you would expect from this label.