Bass! How low can you go? asked Public Enemy on their classic Bring the Noise, and as existential questions go it may not have birthed as many fascinating pieces of literature or film as "Why are we here?" or "Is there a God?", but it's certainly yielded more interesting music. Whilst it seems that many are looking for answers by riding the bandwagon of what used to be called 'the Hackney Sound', Andy Stott's latest release steps up to the reigns and steers it to new territories. Whilst the whomping sub-bass that seemingly defines dubstep sprung from rough, raw experimentation, Stott's work takes these low-end frequencies and sharpens them into a precise weapon, striking devastatingly at exact pressure points. On Unknown Exception, Stott cuts chunky dub riddims to the classic 4/4 techno template and grows from there, before leading the track into a joyous shimmering breakdown that echoes Theo Parrish or Carl Craig. Flip side The Massacre trims and sharpens, diving even further into low end, potent techno that finally defines the chimerical notion of 'rave-step' that's been on everyone's lips. Deadly. [Liam Arnold]
Released: Out now.