7EVEN06 review in RADropping in mid-January during the post-New Year lull, the second
single from F on French label 7even Recordings has slowly burnt a white
hot hole in the dubstep-techno radar alongside the utterly blistering
first instalment from last year. Praised highly by Mary Anne Hobbs,
amongst others, F is rapidly becoming a point of reference and a
sought-after producer. It's easy to see why. While dubstep-techno
crossovers are nothing new, the quality of production here sets the
mysterious Monsieur/Madame F. Aupetit in the upper echelons.
"The Untitled Dub" continues on from where the first single left off by
striking out with purpose. It opens with a steely chord which strikes
again and again unabated in slowly weaving and opening helices as if
signalling war. In answer, the heavy kick drum storms in and unleashes
a squadron of dog fighting rhythm patterns which scrap, dive and weave
overhead in marvellous detail. Buried somewhere in the mix is a
ricocheting and phased reggae horn riff to peg things back to their dub
origins.
"Phantom" begins innocently enough with a few echoing bars that also
harks back to classic Jamaican dub. It doesn't last long. As soon as
the kick drum smashes its way in, the illusion is shattered. More
chugging and rolling, "Phantom" still showcases a rhythmic trickery and
steaming jungle atmosphere to rival the best. Do yourself a favour and
throw away your MP3s and iPod headphones, buy vinyl and big speakers
and throw this on.
+ check
F's Top Ten Beatport Chart