- Lisbon producer Luís Pinto goes by the name DJ Downrock these days, but for the past few years he's been plying his wares as Infestus. A smattering of releases under the alias have explored party-ready garage and grime hybrids and studied, if slightly flimsy, deep house—all with a cartoonish character that's appealing, if a little lacking in depth. But the Lost Bangers EP, released on Photonz's One Eyed Jacks, sees off the Infestus project with its most coherent and singular statement to date.
The title, one presumes, is a reference to these tracks being a presence in local DJ sets for some time before their release. But it could just as easily be a nod to their stylistic origins: all four lean heavily on UK rave for inspiration. The appropriately titled "Dopamine Rush" shuttles between a quickfire grime bounce and a 4/4 stomp with piano chords and looped sirens. "Tundra Riddim" pulls a similar trick, though its straight-down-the-line moments have more in common with the obnoxious throb of bassline house. "Dread" and "Logistics" both amp up the hardcore signifiers; the former, in particular, expertly captures the ragged, graceless intensity of the style, though its workaday structure drains it of dynamism somewhat. If you can get past the faintly plastic production, then there's certainly some fun to be had with these tracks.
Tracklist01. Dopamine Rush
02. Tundra Riddim
03. Dread
04. Logistics