Dubspeeka's "Primary" E.P is the sort of release that will work equally well at home or on the dance floor. Drumcode records' bossman Adam Beyer has a reputation for zero compromise when it comes to the label's output and this solid four tracker will appeal to fans of almost every type of techno.
Each track on this release establishes a tone and builds up ferocious intensity as it thunders along. Rather than smashing you over the head like a blunt shovel, this E.P poisons you slowly with corrosive synths and cavernous reverb that float above the relentless, booming kick drums.
The opening track, K272, would sit happily alongside some of John Carpenter's film soundtrack work. The desolate, snowy wasteland from the opening scene of "The Thing" would be a fitting visual metaphor for the searing, grainy synths that rise out of nowhere about half way through the track. The strings and effects that drift around the relentless sub bass and kick drum arrangement are the finishing touches to a tune that stands out from the more minimal pieces on this E.P.
K256 has a tortured female vocal that has been processed and squeezed through reverbs and delay's until it is barely recognisable. Combine that with the chunky, sub heavy bass line and the crushing kick drum that undulates beneath the percussion and you have a formula for fire. Landing somewhere between the screwfaced bravado of bassline house and trainspotters techno, this unusual track will linger in your subconscious long after you have finished listening.
The two tracks that had less of an impact were K290 and K293. The former is a well crafted piece of pounding, progressive techno but it's nothing we haven't heard before. With a metallic percussion sound that could be somebody hitting a giant cowbell and a growling synth stab to pique your interest, it isn't reinventing the wheel but it's solid enough for fans of the genre to love it.
Overall, this E.P is all about the first and last tracks for me. The 80s horror film funk in K272 and the massacred vocals of K256 lift this release in to four star territory where it will sit, snarling among the snow and ice, waiting for you to pick it up.
Matthew Taylor
