Seems like this dubstep genre just popped in from nowhere, but now that it’s here (and gaining momentum by the minute), my record collection would feel shallow without it. The push received by the release of the Greg “Distance” Sanders debut – which comes off mammoth and righteous under the weight of the man’s fat, thunderous synth basslines – secures dubstep’s place high up on the contemporary electronic ladder. While wholeheartedly endorsing the warped, guttural beats tempered by subtle reggae overtones from which the genre takes its name, My Demons sees the Bromley Rinse 100.3 FM deejay and twelve-inch champion evoking musty, otherworldly atmospheres through his liberal employment of bit-reduced and tweak-mauled synths and the odd bit of frozen, depressive speech, including an arguably misused sample from sci-fi classic Dark City. But, as always, the bass takes center stage, and all signs point to a sweaty, raunchy, dirty-bad time.
That said, I must admit the programming and song construction are a little on the simplistic side compared to the bulk of the Planet Mu catalogue. While taking in releases from edIT, Chevron, and Venetian Snares, new layers of ethereal subtlety are revealed every time. This leaves the unwavering consistency of My Demons to possibly be its downfall. You can’t say it doesn’t do what it does well, but this debut isn’t going to draw a whole lot of interest outside serious dubstep people. Though, as long as we get our fun, that’s really all that matters.
More about: Distance
