- Hessle Audio has become synonymous with consistently quality bass music over the past three years, with each release pushing the boundaries of dubstep while retaining plenty of dance floor functionality. The same applies to the debut release on the label for Elgato, who up until now has been content with displaying his DJing skills alongside his partner-in-crime Bilal at their Bruk parties and on their supplementary radio show. The pair were way ahead of the curve when it came to bringing together house, dubstep and UK garage all under one roof, and it's this hybridization that informs both of the tracks on this 12-inch.
Lovers of more orthodox house music will be drawn to the four-to-the-floor kick of B-side "Blue," which was one of the highlights of Peverelist's RA podcast from earlier this year. Clocking in at 124 BPM, it's by far the slowest track that the label has issued to date, although the influence of UK funky is more than apparent in its syrupy looped vocal and punchy snare triplets. While many of these hybrids are going the way of aggressive fidgety bass licks and noisy breakdowns a la the Night Slugs camp, Elgato's take on the sound is much more refined, relying on subtle rhythmic inflections and a killer groove.
The hard hitting synthesized string blasts of "Tonight" recall the grimier end of early UK funky, but again Elgato manages to create a joyously hypnotic cut. Syncopated 808 bass samples mesh with the trebly ping pong percussion and looped "dance with me" command to create a deep yet propulsive roller, while the second half of the track sees the pads drop out to make way for a layer of delayed 808 cowbells, before finishing with two minutes of drifting beatless synth work. All in all, it's a staggeringly accomplished debut release.
Lista de títulos A Tonight
B Blue