- In the ever-changing world of vapor music, some artists are setting their sights on jungle. Producers like Trends and wosX make "junglewave," which pairs the classic breakbeat sounds with the modern sci-fi soundscapes of the music found on labels like Dream Catalogue, Antifur and BLCR Laboratories. These labels also release techno, house and hardstyle under the nebulous umbrella of hardvapour, a term that generally denotes dance floor music from vapor music artists. THUGWIDOW, from Manchester, is the latest bedroom producer to enter the fray. His take on jungle is more considered, almost studious, compared to his peers. You might think of "Rings Around Saturn" when you see the title Moons Of Jupiter, and there are similarities in the music, too. With flighty breaks speeding through desolate, spaced-out atmospheres, Moons Of Jupiter has shades of Photek, infusing that sound with the wounded soul of post-Burial UK dance music.
The album opens with "IO (The Horned Virgin)"'s beatless ambience. The tracks that follow mostly feature whiplash percussion, though the execution is far from reckless. The beats on "Praxidike The Punisher" are a floaty, graceful take on Paradox-style drumfunk. The streamlined breakcore of "Thebe" is measured yet hard as nails. The age-old jungle device of time-stretching appears here, too, adding nuances to the LP's breakbeat workouts. The snare samples on "Jupiter (Paradise Within)" feel old and worn, while the aptly named "Metis (Failure)" seems to stumble through its haunting three minutes.
"S 2003 J 2 (Lost Moon)," named after a now-disappeared satellite of Jupiter, has a dejected feel. It's part of an impressive closing run that also includes "Ganymede"'s nervous flutter. Contributing to a tradition of outer space-inspired drum & bass, the closing section of Moons Of Jupiter evokes not only the atmospheric joy of classic LTJ Bukem and his Good Looking Records label, but also the vast loneliness of space, the same thing captured in some of ASC's best records. As Moons Of Jupiter's fluency with various forms makes clear, THUGWIDOW is a talented pupil of drum & bass history.
Tracklist01. IO (The Horned Virgin)
02. Europa
03. Elara
04. Callisto
05. Lysithea (Demeter)
06. Kore (The Ship Collides With Jupiter)
07. Thebe
08. Jupiter (Paradise Within)
09. Praxidike The Punisher
10. Ganymede
11. S 2003 J 2 (Lost Moon)
12. Metis (Failure)
13. Final Transmission feat. Sarah Zad