As a label that’s successfully lead the way for both Dutch and Belgian dubstep artists for the best part of a year now, it was only a matter of time to see 11th Hour land a spot on the esteemed Basskruit catalogue! The Belgian producer has been a favourite for a while now as he continues to test the limits of the sound system with his seemingly bottomless depth and dense atmospheres. For this latest demonstration of brain-busting Belgian bass, 11th Hour not only takes another dive into familiar sub-zero waters, but also looks for evolution and diversity throughout five tracks including today’s premiere, ‘Chimera‘.
The EP’s leading track ‘Forensics’ is a jump straight into the deep end when it comes to 11th Hour‘s work. A high pressure, skull crushing bassline forces it’s way through a sea of siren wails and wild drum work and, like most of 11th Hour’s creations, refuses to relent. From the dark depths of the sea to dark corners of the club, 11th Hour charges the dancefloor with the moody and tension filled ‘Hijacked’, where he adds an extra splash of swagger to the mix amongst his ingenious low end designs, alternating between swinging sub stomps and filthy bass pulses, heightened by those malefic synth lines. The EP continues to descend further into unexplored darkness, especially with the arrival of one of my favourites, ‘Headrush’. Making it through head spinning pressure on the entry, we’re met by unintelligible mumblings of undiscovered creatures, warbling through the dense and foggy underground before startling shrills fill the bottomless void. Today’s premiere ‘Chimera‘, offers a compelling demonstration of the power of space and bass. All fundamentals are nailed to perfection, including an arrangement of percussive power and ice cold FX adhering the space that sits between pulsating lows, snarling like the mythical creatures it’s named after.
And finally, I wasn’t lying when I said 11th Hour looks to diversify throughout these five tracks, as he throws in one for the steppers with ‘Orbital‘. A climatic sub explosion of monolithic stomps, featuring a face smacking snare that’ll leave a sting and leaves you with a full ‘forensic’ investigation into 11th Hour‘s broadening range of sound.
11th Hour has remained one of the most consistent producers on the radar recently by delivering a whole selection of releases, including label debuts on the likes of After Dark Music which featured the huge ‘Awaken‘ earlier this year. However with that said, his inevitable arrival on Basskruit may stand as his most complete release yet with each track so unique yet so coherent. The man’s still evolving and only getting stronger!
‘Forensics‘ EP is out now and available to download from the Basskruit Bandcamp.
Check out 11th Hour on Soundcloud and Instagram.
Check out Basskruit on Soundcloud and Instagram.