The next release on Tempa marks the return of J:Kenzo, with Urban Gorilla, the dubstep firebrand s first release since last year s crushing Magneto 12 .
Kenzo remains one of the leading lights of the genre s current generation: his tracks are thrilling exercises in futuristic, synapse-scrambling minimalism, but still deeply rooted in the community-led sound system attitude that inspires them.
Lead track Urban Gorilla epitomises that aesthetic - it features the tough, ruffneck yet dextrous vocals of Ghost crew member Juiceman, famous for his loping chat on El-B s perennial Buck n Bury . Here he s on incendiary form with a beat to match, with his deep baritone looping around percussion and bass that slinks and scuttles - equal parts dub soundboy fury and tense dystopian nightmare.
Expansion trips still further into the dark, with its whiplash bolts of sub-bass and eerie, two-note refrain instantly recalling the characteristic immersive, physically powerful sets of scene lynchpin Youngsta.
The EP closes with the instrumental version of Urban Gorilla recast as Technoid , drawing out the track s contours in sharp, brusquely metallic relief. Tough yet fluid, they re potent reminders of the force coiled within J:Kenzo s music.