Wen - Mmhmm / Swerv / Blitz

  • Sleek and modern UKG.
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  • Wen once said he wants his music to be "a bit unclassifiable," which may explain the various tweaks to his dubstep- and grime-influenced sound over the years. He started out moody, even got a bit lairy, before ending up all pretty and pristine. Mmhmm / Swerv / Blitz, his first release in nearly two years, reveals a new phase—let's call it "tense but dreamy"—built around UK garage rhythms. The EP spans three slamming, fully-fledged cuts—gone are the melodic sketches of 2018's EPHEM:ERA LP. Each does a nice job balancing light with dark. "Mmhmm" opens with piano tinkles before dive-bombing into a gallop of bass and percussion. At the second drop, the rhythm switches from garage to techno, adding tasty oomph. "Swerv" follows a similar blueprint: dreamy swirls give way to a barrelling roar, like a sky-gazing wanderer suddenly plunged into the abyss. The EP's best track, "Blitz," doesn't deal in such stark contrasts. Mean and propulsive, it's a swung banger with warped bass and explosive sound effects. In other words, classic dark 2-step. (Sorry Wen.)
  • Tracklist
      A1 MMHMM B1 Swerv B2 Blitz
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