Does Rekids ever blow it? If they do, it's not very often. It's tough to think of another label that has been so satisfyingly consistent over the last few years. Even the few and far between throwaway tracks, the so-called "DJ tools," seem to cause a stir.
There's nothing throwaway about the latest single from Mr G. "Makes No Sense" starts off innocent enough as it rides in on drums, snaps and syncopated bass, but things turn sinister as dubby stabs and an industrial synth line creep into the low-end. This is paranoid ground. Bring in some hallucinatory siren rhythms, drop a sample of a Rastafarian talking about birds and trees, rev up the synth line and you've hit pay dirt.
Mr G's no newcomer to the world of production (on Beatport alone his name is attached to some 72 releases), but his three singles on Rekids find him really hitting his stride, and it partly seems to be a result of his taking a page or two from the Radio Slave playbook. "ECG'd," "U Askin?" and "Makes No Sense" all strive for that propulsive, overwhelming intensity that light up so many of Matt Edwards' more anthemic cuts. So while on the A-side Mr. G nods to Radio Slave, it's fitting that on the flip Radio Slave nods elsewhere.
It'd be a mistake to call Radio Slave's "Shaking the Tree Remix" of "Makes No Sense" dubstep in any form, but it's also impossible to listen to without hearing nods to the tribal, percussive sound of Shackleton and the dub-techno of 2562, Martyn, et al. It's also impossible to listen to without shaking. Drawing from the ominous pulse of the original, the remix churns and pounds and heaves without ever indulging in relief. Tropical birdcall samples go from serene to unnerving, bird songs to bird screams. This isn't the Blue Lagoon, this is Apocalypse Now, and it's fantastic.
There's nothing throwaway about the latest single from Mr G. "Makes No Sense" starts off innocent enough as it rides in on drums, snaps and syncopated bass, but things turn sinister as dubby stabs and an industrial synth line creep into the low-end. This is paranoid ground. Bring in some hallucinatory siren rhythms, drop a sample of a Rastafarian talking about birds and trees, rev up the synth line and you've hit pay dirt.
Mr G's no newcomer to the world of production (on Beatport alone his name is attached to some 72 releases), but his three singles on Rekids find him really hitting his stride, and it partly seems to be a result of his taking a page or two from the Radio Slave playbook. "ECG'd," "U Askin?" and "Makes No Sense" all strive for that propulsive, overwhelming intensity that light up so many of Matt Edwards' more anthemic cuts. So while on the A-side Mr. G nods to Radio Slave, it's fitting that on the flip Radio Slave nods elsewhere.
It'd be a mistake to call Radio Slave's "Shaking the Tree Remix" of "Makes No Sense" dubstep in any form, but it's also impossible to listen to without hearing nods to the tribal, percussive sound of Shackleton and the dub-techno of 2562, Martyn, et al. It's also impossible to listen to without shaking. Drawing from the ominous pulse of the original, the remix churns and pounds and heaves without ever indulging in relief. Tropical birdcall samples go from serene to unnerving, bird songs to bird screams. This isn't the Blue Lagoon, this is Apocalypse Now, and it's fantastic.
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Published /
Sun / 8 Feb 2009 -
Words /
Ross Holland -
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Tracklist /
A Makes No Sense
B Makes No Sense (Radio Slave's Shaking The Tree remix)
Rest of Russia
Lisbon
Dresden
Paris
Tel Aviv
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