Beneath - Seeus / Ovaride

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  • "You probably see us / But you don't see us," goes the vocal on "Seeus," the A-side on Beneath's latest EP. It may as well be a reference to the London-based producer's elusive sound. His UK club hybrids tread slippery routes, but you can always expect to hear what Blackdown referred to as "sub-zero rollage." Beneath's snares keep tracks in a perpetual spin, as though they are pushing a merry-go-round. On tracks like "Soho," from 2015's Schlocky, or the more recent "Giv Sum," woodblocks and kicks were positioned in the same off-centre sweet spots. The war drums and dystopian vocals on "Seeus" sounds like darkside jungle distilled in a spacious, techno-friendly rhythm. Where "Seeus" uses decades-old music to find fresh pressure points, "Ovaride" draws from more recent history. The UK bass and techno fusion of "Ovaride" fosters a gummy minimalism in the style of early Livity Sound, but the track's mid-range is congested with distorted metal drums, toms and arpeggios that sound too much alike. Some of Beneath's best releases have been stylistic digressions, like 2014's Vobes or last year's No Symbols 005, where he found a sound that at once seemed familiar and alien. We get this on "Seeus," with its stylish contrasts of old and new.
  • Tracklist
      A Seeus B Ovaride
RA