The man behind RSD, Rob Smith, is a bit of a legend round these parts. His work with Peter D. Rose and Ray Mighty under the respective More Rockers and Smith & Mighty banners have been wooing bass heads since the late '80s, and Jah Way marks his second release for Tom "Peverelist" Ford's much lauded Punch Drunk imprint.
Whereas his first 12-inch was a slice of dancefloor smashing post-junglism, Smith finds himself in a much more resolutely "dubstep" mode for these two tracks, albeit with a heavy nod to classic dub reggae sounds. 'Jah Way' rolls out of the blocks with some laid back skanking chords before launching into a heavy bassline that underpins the proceedings. Although it seems deceptively simple on first listen, there are some really interesting things going on underneath the hood. Listen for Smith's fierce modulation of the bassline, or the majestic offbeat drop near the track's end.
'Speeka Box' is the more musical of the two efforts, possessing a bubbling filtered piano loop, skittering drums and a catchy bassline that errs just on the right side of wobble. Throw in some electronic pulses, echoed siren and a jazzy break that comes out of nowhere, and you've got a heads-down belter for the more discerning dubstep floors.
You might want to look elsewhere if you're looking for the more techno influenced material that the label has put out (see Pinch and Peverelist's contributions), but if you're after some bass heavy cuts to appeal to the steppers in the crowd, you could do a lot worse than adding these two bottom-end bangers to your box.
Published /
Mon, 30 Jun 2008
Buy RSD - Jah Way at
Tracklist: RSD - Jah Way
A Jah Way
B Speeka Box | 
