- Cunning dub techno UK funky fusions with a guest spot from veteran grime MC Riko Dan.
- Since Skrillex, Four Tet and Fred Again.. brought Flowdan to the attention of the EDM masses at the beginning of the year, it seems like there's been a resurgence of interest in some of grime's most enduring, talented voices. Enter Riko Dan. On this enviable collaboration with Skee Mask and MJK, the veteran Roll Deep MC—who has worked with artists like The Bug, Pinch and Joker—rides a slippery, Ilian Tape-type beat with the grace of a Gold medalist figure skater. But what makes "One By One" unique is that it looks to a genuinely futuristic sounding fusion of drum & bass, house and techno instead of dubstep and grime pastiche. The stargazing dub techno chords add a hint of majesty to it. It's smooth rather than aggressive.
On the flipside, Skee Mask and MJK offer two versions of an instrumental track called "Patchworks," which blends the latter's signature UK funky hybridism with more dub techno touches. On the first part, the basslines are almost reassuring, like calm ocean waves. The second features firmer slap-happy percussion on the Skee Mask b-boy IDM tip. All three of these tunes are built so well they feel like powerful alloys melded together with no seams or cracks—stronger than the sum of their parts. That they land on Obligated Records, which already put out one of the year's hottest tracks of the year, makes it all the more impressive. Not many labels can reach buy-on-sight status by release number three.
Tracklist01. One By One feat. Riko Dan
02. One By One Instrumental
03. Patchworks Pt. 1
04. Patchworks Pt. 2