- The inventive producer slows dubstep to house tempo.
- Orson and his Version label, party and crew are dubstep traditionalists turned alchemists, reshaping the genre while retaining its core identity. Orson's latest release picks up where its last two records left off, coaxing dubstep into new sectors without making tracks that sound "like hybrids," as Will Lynch said in his review of Version 7. The tenth Version EP does it even better, applying dubstep patterns to tempos more associated with techno and house.
"Life Gamble" fastens a dubstep rhythm to a meaty bassline. The delay processing and vocal samples hint at old-school DMZ, but its rippling synths are more Chain Reaction. "12:09" perfects a trick that Orson also used on "Production House", trying dubstep at house tempo. This time the track is more ghostly and menacing, the kick-snare pattern landing with the lumbering gait of Frankenstein's monster. The LFOs wobble like it's 2007, but the slower tempo feels fresh. Releases like this prove dubstep has plenty of life left.
TracklistA Life Gamble
B 12:09