- Emerging little more than a year ago with a wickedly off-kilter debut for Hessle Audio, Untold has since been responsible for some of dubstep's most idiosyncratic transmissions, melding gloopy half-step, rickety garage and oddball electronica to striking effect. It was only a matter of time before Hotflush caught up with him, and the results are impressive.
A-side "Sweat" sees buoyant, elasticized stabs of bass, pegged down by a tight 2-step shuffle, ripple jubilantly amidst a sprawl of vaporous Rolando-esque atmospherics. Gone are the jittery, semi-schizoid mannerisms of previous works, replaced by an altogether breezier set of dynamics that signal a shift towards sunnier climes. Notably, the painful introversion characteristic of so much recent UKG-flavoured dubstep is conspicuous in its absence. It comes as a welcome change.
"Dante" takes things further into Detroit-inspired territory, sounding not unlike Delano Smith given a UK underground makeover. Built around a brittle kick/rimshot play-off, warm subs and molten chords bubble incandescently in the background, seemingly unfazed by the clattering percussion and happy to pause here and there for breath. Dreamy female vocals only add to the carefree ambience. Much like the A-side, it's a quietly confident piece, imbued with a healthy sense of perspective and in no great hurry to impress anyone. As such, it's just marvellous.
Tracklist A Sweat
B Dante