It’s not too difficult to figure out how Encrypted Audio have found themselves firmly at the forefront of the genre over the last couple of years. The label regularly puts out the freshest material both download only and super limited vinyl by forming a stacked roster of talented producers including Sectra, DMVU, Ceiva, Malleus and of course Samba, thus building a back catalogue of incredible releases that I’m sure will stand the test of time. So it comes as no surprise that hopping on the labels latest vinyl release and making his second appearance on the label is the super creative Koma, 1/5 of dubstep’s only boyband Chonk Mob, with this being his debut 12″.
ENV018 is comprised of four stunning tracks in their own respect. The record starts off cold with ‘Moonlight’, an icy minimal track loaded with heavy 808s and a striking memorable lead. ‘Uncle Sullivan’ takes the release down rougher territories with a harsher low end amongst further experimental percussion. The Murk remix of ‘Uncle Sullivan’ follows, where the intense throbbing bass line take centre stage as the lead is chopped and cuts in sporadically throughout the beat. The EP concludes with ‘Deep In The Crease’, a collaborative effort with Denver’s Dalek One. After drawing in attention with a genius choice of sample, taking one of Tom Hardy’s graphic lines from Peaky Blinders, the final track drops with some nasty pounding bass that Dalek One is so good at. The track ceases to relent throughout, leaving a lasting impression.
Not only is the music dialled, the artwork is also superb! Big up Thomas Gutteridge on that.
ENV018 is out now and available from the Encrypted Audio Bandcamp. Be quick though as of writing this, there’s only a handful of copies left!
Check out Koma on Soundcloud.
Check out Encrypted Audio on Soundcloud and Twitter.