GANTZ

Every so often a producer comes through and changes the game a little; crafting new dimensions and sonic pathways within sounds that leave them operating in a league of their own when it comes to originality. For many within Dubstep circles, from DJs and producers to the listeners and heads on the dancefloor at the receiving end of his sub-driven beats, Gantz is that breath of fresh air with the inherent creative instinct to deviate from the same played-out formulas and boilerplates.

Meticulously assembling tracks from his lab in Istanbul, Gantz gains heightened prominence with each release and this February sees him return to Innamind Recordings to further stake his claim as one of the circuit’s most engaging talents. A label progressing on a similarly meteoric trajectory to Gantz, Innamind were perhaps one of the most successful emergent imprints of 2012, providing a platform for an exciting stable of like-minded artists to release music with real longevity, culminating with a pair of full vinyl transmissions from Kiwi dons Perverse and latterly Catacombs. Forging the perfect partnership, Gantz and Innamind team up for the label’s third vinyl instalment featuring ‘Siyam’ and ‘Enso’, a killer double header that will assault soundsystems from London to Christchurch, forming a statement of intent for the quality in store this year. As with many of Gantz’s productions, focus is immediately drawn to the probing and detailed percussive arrangements that dart and weave unpredictably through the mix. The bassline on ‘Siyam’ is like an unstoppable current of pent up Jungle energy, propelling the track with tumbling slabs of pure bassweight beneath persistent war drums and neon rave sirens. It’s reminiscent of the golden age of Skull Disco material but reinterpreted, updated and retrofitted with Gantz’s inimitable aesthetic signature. In an equally leftfield vein as ‘Siyam’, ‘Enso’ has decidedly macabre edge as the intro’s discordant synths ring out intermittently like an alarm, as if to warn of the sheer impact to come. As the main section breaks, enveloping waves of sub-frequency undulate with tidal-force, pierced by stuttering woodblocks and snares that reverberate like gunshots. The atmosphere is tense and unforgiving, littered with quaint gasps of vocals; a truly unique darkside monster that chills you to the core.