- There's a track here called "Stinky," which tells you all you need to know.
- Ploy's hit rate is almost absurdly high. Nearly every 12-inch he releases has some massive standout that briefly circulates across the international club circuit like earthquake aftershocks. (Think "Ramos," or "Rayhana.") On his latest, the second EP for his Deaf Test label, that track is the wonderfully named "Stinky," which is built around a reggae vocal sample—"stink and perspiration!"—looped into semantic satiation, over a topsy-turvy UK techno beat. Ploy is restless, first adding seasick synths before trading them out for bitcrushed birdsong, each new element adding to the overwhelming tornado of sound that occasionally flattens out into a bass-quaking drop. It's one of those tracks that feels like it's always about go to off the rails, which "Ninety One" takes a step further, with a breakdown that makes it feel like Ploy has completely lost control before it snaps back into place.
The title track takes a different tack entirely, focusing on a staggered half-time between pitched directly between dubstep and drum & bass. The exotic flute sample says Mala, but the big bass squalls and leaden kick drums remind me more of the dancehall stylings of artists like Low Jack or Nick León (or even Objekt's wacky new one). These tracks were reportedly meant as tributes to Venue MOT in South London, where Ploy holds his Deaf Test party, and specifically aimed at the "early hours." I don't know what kind of bonkers club is warming up with "Stinky," but I would pay a visit.
Tracklist01. Stinky
02. Ninety One
03. Unit 18