• Basket
  • RA Store
  • Login / Register
  • Login
  • Register
Resident Advisor
×
Search
Submit
Did you mean
×
  • Resident Advisor
  • Magazine
    • News
    • Reviews
    • Features
    • Videos
  • Listings
    • Events
    • Clubs
    • Festivals
    • Photos
  • Music
    • Artists
    • New Tracks
    • DJ Charts
    • Podcasts
  • Search
  • Reviews
  • /
  • Albums

Homemade Weapons - Negative Space

    • Label /
      Samurai Music
      SMDELP01
    • Released /
      December 2016
    • Style /
      Drum & Bass
    • Comments /
      6 / View
    • Rating /
      4.1/5
    • Previous
    • Next
    Homemade Weapons - Negative Space Homemade Weapons - Negative Space
    Homemade Weapons - Negative Space "An excellent example of what can be achieved if you actually stay awake in your studio and don't just rely on three kicks per bar." That line from Om Unit, describing Negative Space, perfectly explains what makes Homemade Weapons one of drum & bass's most exciting producers: dynamism. Where many artists—Sam Binga, Fracture, Om Unit himself—have looked to other genres for inspiration, Andre Delgado takes drum & bass head-on, crafting a deadly halftime sound marked by precision. On records for Samurai, he stripped the genre down to its core components, making steely beats that cut like a well-sharpened knife. It might sound cheesy, but Delgado's music is really about drums and bass, and getting those two elements exactly right. Negative Space isn't just heaven for beat science junkies, it's one of the best straight-up drum & bass albums in recent memory.

    There's an immense force behind Delgado's music, but he rarely makes a show of it. "Hawkeye," which opens the album like a statement of intent, is all rigid tension until the first few Amen clips hit. They land hard and almost random, pushing the track into higher gear until it becomes a flurry of drum sounds. Delgado has a knack for structure and arrangement. Rather than looping a few samples for six minutes, he's constantly on top of the track, adding new elements to keep it exciting. Listen to the way he weaves breaks into the careful framework of "Conduit VIP," or how he and frequent collaborator Red Army craft the empty spaces on the ultra-taut "Retina." There's never a moment of complacency for Delgado.

    Every track on Negative Space approaches drum & bass orthodoxy from a different angle. Put "Retina" next to "Ironhead"—a jaw-dropping tune whose heavily gated drums hit with a dull thwack—and it could be the work of two different artists. Delgado doesn't need big guest appearances or vocal hooks to break up monotony. He's actually best at his most minimal, like the vaporous but walloping "Echoes."

    Even more than techno, drum & bass sticks to its rules and history. On Negative Space, Delgado negotiates that history with subtle tweaks, interjections and zig-zags, while remaining true to his influences. It's the first album released on Samurai after the family reorganized to focus Horo on experimental music and the parent label on essential, straightforward drum & bass. Negative Space is certainly essential: it's drum & bass at its purest, most potent form.
    • Published /
      Fri / 16 Dec 2016
    • Words /
      Andrew Ryce
    • Share
    • Tracklist /
      01. Hawkeye
      02. Spasmolytic
      03. Retina feat. Red Army
      04. Ironhead
      05. Echoes
      06. Tidal Track
      07. Malice
      08. Jawbox feat. Gremlinz
      09. Conduit VIP
      10. Red Herring
      11. Third Rail
      12. Killing Moon
    0/
  • Popular reviews

    • 33 comments

      Kylie Minogue at Berghain

    • 20 comments

      Hunee - Hunchin' All Night

    • 26 comments

      Daniel Avery - Song For Alpha

    • 4 comments

      DGTL Amsterdam 2018: Five key performances

    • 26 comments

      DJ Koze ‎- Pick Up

    • 8 comments

      Bangface Weekender 2018: Five key performances

    • 12 comments

      Krystal Klear ‎- The Division

    • 11 comments

      Laurent Garnier at Rex Club

    0/
  • Comments loading

    0/ #300498
    • More on Samurai Music

      Samurai Music

      Samurai Music is owned and directed by New Zealander Geoff Wright aka DJ Presha.
      View the full label profile

    • Reviews

      • 4 comments

        Various - Decade

      • 1 comments

        Last Life - Nootka

      • 10 comments

        Homemade Weapons & Red Army - Sleep Terror

      • 13 comments

        Tokyo Prose - Presence

      • Post a comment

        Kiyoko - Kiyoko EP

      • 8 comments

        Various - Way of The Samurai 2: Code of Honour

      • Post a comment

        Tokyo Prose - Tokyo Prose Remixed

      • 2 comments

        Calibre - Hummer EP

    0/
  • More on Homemade Weapons

    • Homemade Weapons
      Add to favourites


      View the full artist profile

    News

    • Wed, 22 Nov 2017

      4 comments

      Samurai Music marks ten years in business with Decade compilation

      ASC, Marcus Intalex, AnD and Paradox all feature.

    • Thu, 06 Jul 2017

      6 comments

      Samurai Music announces Homemade Weapons remix EP

      Sam KDC and Ancestral Voices rework the Seattle producer's debut LP, Negative Space.

    • Tue, 13 Sep 2016

      Post a comment

      Ancestral Voices, Nucleus & Paradox up next on Samurai Music

      The Berlin label will release its next two EPs in October.

    • Wed, 24 Aug 2016

      6 comments

      Homemade Weapons announces debut album, Negative Space

      Samurai Music will release the LP in December.

    • Sat, 02 Apr 2016

      10 comments

      Samurai Music relaunches main label

      New releases come from Homemade Weapons, Clarity and Nucleus & Paradox.

    • Tue, 06 Oct 2015

      Post a comment

      Recon DNB turns 12 in Denver

      Chrissy, Dylan and Homemade Weapons are booked for this weekend's anniversary celebration.

    Reviews

    • 4 comments

      Various - Decade

    • 6 comments

      Homemade Weapons - Negative Space

    • 10 comments

      Homemade Weapons & Red Army - Sleep Terror

    0/
    • RA
    • Copyright © 2018 Resident Advisor Ltd.
    • All rights reserved
    • Privacy & Terms
    • Resident Advisor /
    • About
    • Advertise
    • Jobs
    • RA Events

    • RA Tickets /
    • My Tickets
    • Ticketing FAQ
    • Resale
    • Sell tickets on RA
    • Submit event

    • Apps /
    • RA Guide
    • RA Ticket Scanner
    • Elsewhere /
    • Watch on YouTube
    • Follow on Facebook
    • Listen on Apple Music
    • Stream on Spotify
  • RA is also available in Japanese. 日本版
    • RA on YouTube
    • RA on Facebook
    • RA on Twitter
    • RA on Google+
    • RA on Instagram
    • RA on Soundcloud