Last year's Reeling Skullways LP was a characteristic Bass Clef response to the UK's recent house and techno obsession. The framework was borrowed from Chicago, but the bright, modular synth-derived melodies could only have been concocted in Ralph Cumbers' Hackney lab. And while the results weren't entirely convincing, "Stenaline Metranil Solar Flare" was an exception, largely because it set the synths loose, allowing them to float freely in the cosmic terrain charted by early Autechre and Plaid.
This EP re-release of the track plays to another of Cumbers' strengths: his range. A new Bass Clef mix explores Kowton-esque grime-gone-techno—all spiky, syncopated snares, loping kick and a generous helping of smashed glass—but Cumbers' angle is, as you might expect, warmer and a little less spartan (the juicy bassline is a particular pleasure). In neat contrast—and mirroring the sample-based, deconstructive Paper Round Tapes series—his mix as Coseph Jonrad reconfigures the track into a beatless joy-overload. Finally, Punch Drunk boss Peverelist follows his Strategy remix on Idle Hands with another distinctly different offering: this time the template is sunny slow-mo house. The dappled chord work and perky bassline make it a surprisingly cheery outing for Pev, a response, perhaps, to the subtle sense of mischief that pervades Cumbers' work.
This EP re-release of the track plays to another of Cumbers' strengths: his range. A new Bass Clef mix explores Kowton-esque grime-gone-techno—all spiky, syncopated snares, loping kick and a generous helping of smashed glass—but Cumbers' angle is, as you might expect, warmer and a little less spartan (the juicy bassline is a particular pleasure). In neat contrast—and mirroring the sample-based, deconstructive Paper Round Tapes series—his mix as Coseph Jonrad reconfigures the track into a beatless joy-overload. Finally, Punch Drunk boss Peverelist follows his Strategy remix on Idle Hands with another distinctly different offering: this time the template is sunny slow-mo house. The dappled chord work and perky bassline make it a surprisingly cheery outing for Pev, a response, perhaps, to the subtle sense of mischief that pervades Cumbers' work.
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Published /
Mon / 21 Oct 2013 -
Words /
Angus Finlayson -
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Tracklist /
A Stenaline Metranil Solar Flare (Bass Clef Remix)
B Stenaline Metranil Solar Flare (Peverelist Remix)
Digital: Stenaline Metranil Solar Flare (Coseph Jonrad Remix)
Digital: Stenaline Metranil Solar Flare (Original Mix)
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