- San Francisco's Method One is not a name you might recognize instantly, but it's not for lack of trying: Jason Leder has been pushing atmospheric drum & bass in the US for almost two decades now, with a DJ career stretching well back into the '90s. Leder is the latest to step up to the plate of ASC's experimental Symbol series, and while these Method One tracks mostly stick to the established drum & bass tempo, they're some of the most quietly experimental and elegantly distinct tracks of his career.
"Symbol #5.1" isn't so far off from some of ASC's recent output, quietly swung drums and contoured synths bouncing between rubbery basslines. Part 2 is more assertive with techno stabs and a ropy bassline that uproots the whole track as it undulates, while Part 3 strips away the layers, leaving just a bassline and coasting synth melody. It's Part 4 that finally achieves the sort of deconstructed drum & bass Symbol aims for, a heavy-handed synth weeper that sounds like dBridge remixing Enya. Method One's productions here aren't always the most distinctive, but #5 proves another solid addition to one of modern drum & bass's most consistent imprints.
Tracklist A1 Symbol #5.1
A2 Symbol #5.2
B1 Symbol #5.3
B2 Symbol #5.4