Pyongyang City Sessions

With debut releases on both Hessle Audio and Numbers, as well as a few D&B numbers on Med School, Randomer can no longer be considered a newcomer to the scene.  A highlight of the Boiler Room 1st Birthday was his track ‘Real Talk’  which melds together heavy percussion – reminiscent of Instra:Mental’s forays into 130bpm territory – with aggressive vocal samples and a knock-out, crushed up swing worthy of a place in a Mike Tyson highlight video.  Asbo’s reaction on the mic is about all the information you need as to why Randomer is drawing praise from high places and how he’s earned a release on Untold‘s label Hemlock.

Having been a big fan of Untold’s various productions over the years as well as the label output itself, Hemlock has become something of a buy-on-sight label for myself and plenty of others.  Along with the talent Randomer can now call his label-mates, the releases on the label have been consistently forward thinking and subsequently trend-setting.  His fourth release sees him continue in the same house and techno inspired vein as before – but far from following a set pattern, both tracks are clever, energetic, quirky and importantly – bass heavy.

Within the first couple of seconds of Scruff Box I was reaching for the volume on my amplifier and turning it straight to 11.  Launching with a simple 4×4 garage beat, layers of percussion are added that intensify as the track lurches forward.  Off-beat handclaps, bouncing toms, double time hi-hats and a whiplash snare provide the bulk of the track but on each listen something new sticks out, equal parts simplicity and complexity.  A menacing bassline growls underneath all the while, whilst stabs of synthetic noise inject life into each section.

The production on both tracks is fantastically dirty and both have the sound and texture of well-worn vinyl without any feeling of lost vitality.

B-side ‘Get Yourself Together‘ is more of a full-blown Techno joint.  Rattling cymbals hit like a team of manic typewriters,  cacophonously hammering out a rhythm to occupy the upper levels of the sonic spectrum. The low end is ably covered by a big dusty kick drum and off-beat timpanis, that march through the track and give structure to the chaotic elements.  Complete with a snare that sounds like it was beat out on an angry blacksmiths anvil, the rugged stomp of this track is both infectious and dark.

The sudden boom in interest in classic 4×4 styles has seen a slew of formulaic rehashes and Randomer has done well to avoid cliches – which inevitably plague any resurgence in popularity of certain sounds in certain scenes.  Combining an array of styles into something very contemporary and aimed at the future rather than the past, Hemlock carries on doing what its always done – signing up sick producers and putting out intelligent, forward thinking dance music.

Out on the 20th Feb.