Foto Sounds have developed quite the habit over recent months. If it isn’t label heads Khanum and Unkey releasing their own brand of hair-raising material, there’s an opportunity for underrated producers not heard in many corners of the genre to come forward and debut on one of dubstep’s best rising labels! Following releases from Ohmtrix and Wheelton in recent months, multi-genre producer Itmek debuts on Foto this week, where he looks to venture back into the sounds of dubstep after finding success within drum & bass over recent years. Across three tracks, Itmek‘s rough, heavyweight sounds of dnb enter the 140 arena, polished off by Biome‘s naturally huge remix of the title track. ‘Halo’.
But first, Itmek sets pace with the original ‘Halo‘, a tune that lays the foundations for the tracks that follow with plenty of space, plenty of bass and plenty of tension! It’s an immediate explosion of bruising low end pressure, possibly the toughest of the three originals, with fierce mid range notes causing distorted drama, intimidating the dance with impudency. The veteran master from Manchester, Biome, follows with his sizzling remix of ‘Halo‘ and as expected, it’s as hard as nails. The distorted mids are thrown into a war-like frenzy and the dancefloor will have no choice but to follow suit as rib cages rattle against a wall of thunderous reese-soaked bass throughout. However the space really opens up during the EP’s second half, from the reese infused ‘One Hundred Thieves‘ to the violent kicks of ‘Two Juice‘, Itmek expands on his explosive sound. And amongst the heady combo of space and bass, the UK producer indulges in powerful, attention hooking elements, particularly on my personal favourite, ‘One Hundred Thieves’, where a skull-cracking snare continues to cause havoc and immersive, swelling pads expand the horizons, crosses boundaries and hits cinematic levels.
‘Halo‘ EP is a seamless return to dubstep for Itmek and one that finds a comfortable home on Foto Sounds. It stands toe to toe with a slew of deep, titanic productions that continue to march their way onto the label and long may it continue!
‘Halo‘ EP is out now and available to download from the Foto Sounds Bandcamp and everywhere else on 16/07/2021.
Itmek on Soundcloud and Instagram.
Check out Foto Sounds on Soundcloud and Instagram.