Various Artists - Keysound Recordings Present: This Is How We Roll

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  • Keysound isn't what it used to be. The spirit remains the same—still channeling the urban anxiety of London—but the label's personnel has seen a huge sea change. Only founders Dusk and Blackdown have held on through the years. But it might be even better than it used to be. In 2013, Keysound has a sterling roster of new artists, and the brash pronouncement of "this is the new wave" that opens the label's first compilation says it all. The Godzilla-sized collaboration between Beneath, Visionist and Wen is not just a clever idea, it's an aggressive display of pure muscle and bravado. They form the foundation for Keysound MK II, a stunning collective of young producers who deal in urban edge and hardcore continuum thrash. This Is How We Roll offers up their prime selections amidst a number of reworks of recent Keysound staples. Double Helix's impressionistic "LDN" becomes nailed down by leaden drums, Wen's lithe "Commotion" gets dubbed-out and shaken, and Dusk + Blackdown put a welcome drum track underneath "Lonely Moon," an ambient vocal waft from last year. This Is How We Roll also has a number of label debuts. E.m.m.a. comes out looking the best with "Peridot," whose big foamy synths are welcome relief after an hour of percussive lashings. Fresh Paul sounds like a Guido acolyte with shrieking string samples and slovenly drum hits, while Rabit's "Satellite" provides the most acrid grime beat since "Anaconda," out-screwfacing everyone else here. Add that to the disorienting hall-of-mirrors from Logos & Mumdance and the dub comedown of Moleskin's "Burst," and you have a compilation that leaves no stone unturned. The title This Is How We Roll isn't just cheeky sloganeering either. It refers to bossman Martin Clark's "sub-zero rollage," a term he coined to describe the ironclad pulse of Beneath. It's a phrase that perfectly wraps up the entire roster's tendency for antisocial paeans to concrete and steel. And if this is how they roll, they're blazing past everyone else in their path.
  • Tracklist
      01. Visionist, Beneath & Wen - New Wave 02. Beneath - PVO 03. Samrai - Hear Me Now 04. Visionist - Dangerous 05. Wen - Commotion VIP 06. Double Helix - LDN VIP 07. Epoch - The Steppenwolf 08. Dusk + Blackdown feat. Farrah - Lonely Moon (Android Heartbreak drumz remix) 09. Fresh Paul - Blaster 10. Mumdance & Logos - In Reverse 11. Gremino - Monster VIP 12. Rabit - Satelite 13. E.m.m.a. - Peridot 14. Moleskin - Burst
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