Dub Recommendations October 2017

Review: Dub techno doesn't come deeper than DeepChord, and Mike Schommer is one of those responsible for launching the legendary project. Making his return after 15 long years, Steve O'Sullivan's re-energised Mosaic Records is the perfect place to get reacquainted with the chap. "Invitation To Love" is as romantic as the title would suggest, letting gorgeous chords and pad washes ooze out over a steady ticking beat. The rhythm gets chopped up a little on "Remember When", while "Into The Night" heads into head-nodding dubstep territory with mammoth bass replaced by elegant Motor City synth shimmers.

Review: It doesn't get better than this... Two stand out tracks from Fluxion's seminal 2000 album Bipolar Defect are brought up to speed by another hugely respected dubsmith - DeepChords. Crisper in finish and with more hypnotic reverberations on the seashore synth ripples, Rod Modell has brought out all the aspects that made us fall in love with Fluxion in the first place and given them a contemporary studio finish. Sublime.

Review: Following his early appearance on Samurai's Horo series, Berlin-based mysterion Theme lays down his first full-flavoured four-tracker that's arranged as a series of scenes to create a wider narrative. "Scene 1" sets the foundations with surprisingly classic drum & bass dynamics for Samurai. Pacey, kick-focussed and full of latent energy (thanks to the wall-of-sound synths), it's designed for large systems that Theme is probably more used to under his techno alias. "Scene 2" takes us deeper into the story with a swampy, slo-mo 4/4s providing a backbone to more oceanic synth leads. "Scene 3" is the montage of Theme's movie, gradually gaining momentum by way of more tidal pads, it's the moment when the chips are down and the fight is on. Finally we hit an emotional finale as "Scene 4" brings us to a deep, dubby climax. Closure? You're not going to get it on this series... But that's what keeps us tuned to Samurai anyway.

Review: Korean German mystic mister JahYu returns to his own label Tripedal Cow. Teaming up with Ras Tinny, it's the strongest message of our time as they directly call out one of the most loathsome of UK politicians, citing the state of urgency across the world. The original and Version are deep digi dub excursions marinated in spirituality and space while remixes from Alpha & Omega and the currently unavoidable Akcept rattle with weight as they direct themselves square at the dance. Movement is the message.