- You might not have heard of him before now, but Adam "Kidkut" Jackson has been heavily involved in Bristol's dubstep scene from the get-go, putting on nights alongside dubstepforum moderator ThinKing, and also releasing the likes of Benga, TRG, Forsaken and Sigha on his Immerse Records imprint. For his own debut 12-inch, Jackson has decided to forego his own label, instead using Appleblim's Apple Pips as the platform from which to launch his production career. Both tracks clock in at a steady 130 BPM, ensuring compatibility with much of the recent developments in UK funky and future garage, but Jackson manages to avoid being derivative, bringing a fair few fresh ideas into the fold.
"ILove04" relies heavily on a casually chopped and looped James Brown break, dragging it into the 21st century with clipped stabs, vocal snippets and a fairly clean but wobbly bass line; but the centrepiece of the track is another sample—this time from 808 State's "Pacific State." Taking the four shimmering chords from the introduction of the 1989 classic, Jackson breaks things down to a beatless crawl, before urgently reintroducing the rhythmic elements.
Those who aren't looking for a nostalgia trip should investigate flipside "Lilt," which has arrived just in time for the last stretch of summer. Working up a hyperkinetic rhythm full of steel drums, whistles and frenetic tribal percussion, its engaging dynamic flux means that this time, there's no need to resort to lifting the hook from another record.
Tracklist A ILove04
B Lilt