Desto - Makowrap EP

Recording info

Rwina Records follows up Doshy's unforgettable 'Suspiria' EP with yet another massive and dramatic A-side, this time from Finnish dubstep producer Desto. Like 'Suspiria', Desto's 'Makowrap' is all about uncompromising focus, exacting precision and killer melodies, with the normally hyperactive producer temporarily shelving his loopy constructions and frantic arpeggios and instead favouring a measured, slowly building progression instead. Desto's volatile energy is channelled into bursts of epic, triumphant melody, undeniably anthemic each and every single time they stream out blindingly over the track's weighty kick, a reminder that this is, in fact, bass music after all. The hushed chords and skittering, exaggerated snares that dribble and melt all over the track put a noticeably hip-hop slant that permeates the rest of the EP.

The other two tracks hearken back to the usual kind of colourful dubstep Desto is associated with, all arpeggiated fireworks and topsy-turvy synth chords. 'Neptune' staggers down a descending progression into plateaus of sub-bass throb as synths twinkle and shoot out from the empty spaces, playful percussive accents peeking out mischievously, the sound of drum machines misbehaving. The other track on the flipside focus around vocal samples, with 'Overkrookd' attacking a frightened vocal with monotonous LFO stabs that occasionally break through into an undersea world of squiggling chords and bubbling melodies, Jokeresque majesty that quickly flatlines back into the track's unforgiving mechano-skank.

Finally, as an exclusive extra digital; 'React' drops somersaulting breakbeats over more of those aqueous 8-bit synths, alternately trilling gently and smearing themselves across the wet, mouldy canvas. While it's quite possibly the label's most dubstep-centric release yet, Desto's 'Makowrap' is just another in a series of masterful releases combining the most colourful and vibrant sectors of dubstep and grime with hip-hop swagger, melodically rich while keeping them fully focused on the dancefloor.