- The hybrid sound that followed dubstep always attracted international artists. But it's only recently that France has become a major voice in the conversation. The likes of Simo Cell and Lyon's BFDM crew offer original insights on ideas pioneered by UK labels like Livity Sound and Hessle Audio. So does the Parisian E-Unity, whose debut EP shares a bleepy sensibility with Simo Cell. But the newcomer tends more towards overload, his arrangements dense and pumping with compression. This smudged quality can sometimes undermine his ideas. "Perihelion," for instance, is seven minutes of buildup, all jangling hats and convulsive bass. When a clap on the two and four eventually pins down the groove, it ought to work as a pay-off, but the sound doesn't quite cut through. This is a minor gripe, though—the track is still arresting, and the EP finds a fresh angle on a much-interpreted sound.
"Morty" also favours tense intro stasis over steady groove. Snares and kick drums fire off 16th-note barrages while filtered pads peak wildly. In the 11th hour the whole thing regroups as sloping electro. "A Wormhole In The 4th Wall" is a more level groover in the Livity mould. Maybe a bit too level—at eight minutes, the track repeats itself needlessly. But its lush, chirruping synth work is worlds—or perhaps that should be a few hundred miles—away from cool Bristol minimalism.
Tracklist01. Perihelion
02. Morty
03. A Wormhole In The 4th Wall