Review: LAS & Gantz - Firepusher EP [SYSTM004]

Words: Silas Howison-Waughray

"System". If you’re still a passionate fan of dubstep, then that name shout resonate loud and clear. It’s a name more closely associated with an event curated by scene figurehead V.I.V.E.K; a night which stands at the pinnacle of preserving dubstep’s longevity. Alongside a string of infamous events has, more recently, been an impressive series of 180gram vinyl releases. The latest editions to the System Sound team are the equally infamous LAS & Gantz, both of whom now boast a myriad of releases across major imprints still pushing the dubstep sound.

This is a label which clearly takes its ethos very seriously: this is real soundsystem music. The A-side, ‘Fire Pusher’, has LAS & Gantz written all over it, with sporadic rim shots, looped vocals and an unassumingly hypnotic top line. The other two tracks on the EP feel (unsurprisingly) much more like solo productions. Gantz' offering, 'Second Nature', is heavily indebted to his roots, with ethnic percussion and instrumentation throughout. The focal point of LAS' ‘Malfunktions’ is the kick drum, which is finely tuned and the real driving force behind the track's rhythm. The off-kilter bleeps, blips and digitised idiosyncrasies which accompany all relate directly back to the title, itself representing that very digital sort of malfunction: the typo. Drawing for either of these in a club would be a challenge for any DJ, but it’s that originality and rhythmic versatility that sets these two apart, and their consistency in shying away from the norm that steadies and continues their appeal.

SYSTM004 sits perfectly alongside its predecessors, and complements the System Sound ideology.

LAS & Gantz - Firepusher EP [SYSTM004] will be released on 12" vinyl and in digital formats on the 10th of March 2014, and is available to pre-order from the System Surus store now.

Silas has written for Gottwood, Urban Nerds, Mavrik, and MisDigest, is one half (guess which) Silas & Snare Surgeon, and a resident DJ for the Leeds-based Brotherhood Soundsystem.

Competition: Win vinyl from Sully and Dub Mechz and 2x guestlist to the Methods launch night @ 512 Kingsland Road, Dalston

Not content with quietly turning the dubstep scene's collective head and scoring himself the second, hugely-anticipated release on V.I.V.E.K's System label, longtime friend of the blog, Karma, has decided to launch his own clubnight. Quiet though he is, we hit him up for a few words on the thinking behind the night and what people can expect from Methods in the future.

Hedmuk: Tell us a bit about the night: where did the idea come from, and what sort of sound and vibe are you going to be representing?

Karma: One of the ideas behind Methods is to showcase a variety of music that we're feeling; dubstep is our focus, though dub, garage, and grime are also high on our agenda. We want to avoid the night being just about the line-ups: sure it's important to have good established DJs and up-and-coming talent on the bill, but our resident DJs are solid and we're hoping that people will pay them as much attention as they do the headliners. We think there's a lack of homegrown nights in London right now with a communal feel, where people come because the vibe is right and not just because there's 5 big names on the bill playing in a club everyone's heard of. We want to keep it relatively underground.

H: How important do you think it is for the development of the scene to have outlets like this for up-and-comers to be able to showcase their music in a live setting?

K: I think it's very important. It can be very difficult for new artists to get their music heard, unless they have support from another DJ; often the only alternative is to use the internet, but things always get misinterpreted, or mislabeled, which can sometimes make people misjudge things in a way the creator never intended, which is very unfair. That's why it's a great opportunity to be able to play your music out live: the music comes straight from the artist to the listener, there's no bullshit between the two, and that allows the listener to make up their own mind. It's more honest.

H: Can you see the Methods nights becoming a regular fixture, or are the dates likely to be more sporadic?

K: Yeah, we'd like to make it a regular night - how regularly we're not sure, monthly or bi-monthly would be great but we're willing to see how this one goes first.

H: And can you give any hints as to who might be appearing at future events?

K: We have a few ideas, but we don't want to reveal anything just yet...

To support the launch of Methods - which features Keysound's inimitable Sully topping the bill along with Deep Medi favourites Dub Mechz and Karma himself, supported by the Methods residents - we're offering two places on the guestlist along with vinyl copies of 'Broken LFO' / 'Change of Direction' by Dub Mechz and Sully's 'Reminder' / 'Jackman's Rec' and 'Toffee Apple' from Frijsfo Beats. To be in with a chance simply head over to the Hedmuk Facebook Page and Like and share this photo.

The competition will close on the 5th of July, the day before the event, and a winner will be selected at random by an independent third party before being announced via Facebook and Twitter.

For full details on the event, including how to claim free entry, head over to the event page here.

W.

Jack Sparrow - ESP Agency Mix

Jack Sparrow delivers a short mix giving us a taste of some forthcoming material alongside dubs from the likes of Vivek, Commodo and Subreachers. Sparrows latest project sees him collaborate with fellow leodensian Ruckspin under the alias Author and an LP is due on Tectonic late this year.

Esp mix august by J.Sparrow (dubstep)