As a label that continues to support a thriving scene throughout the west coast of the United States, For The Heads Records have delivered some impeccable releases since it’s inception in 2019. With collaborative EPs from Mrshl & Subtle Mind in the books, plus the mighty Conzi with ‘Chant‘ EP earlier this year, FTH certainly know how to put together a solid record by now! However, their keen ears are truly put to the test when curating their esteemed compilation series that reaches it’s fourth edition this week. This latest compilation is a comprehensive celebration for all things fresh within dubstep right now, full of talent that continues to knock it out of the park upon each creation! And amongst thirteen brand new original productions is today’s premiere, ‘Don’t Touch‘ by Crowley, one of the many notable producers to have emerged out of Belgium’s flourishing scene.
Like the projects that came before, For The Heads Compilation Volume 4 is an impressive amalgamation of all things great within dubstep right now. Sometimes it’s good to be reminded of the breadth of quality throughout the genre and when listened to in full, this record is the perfect tool to do so. Florida based Blicka begins with a strong ray of Miami sunshine with the vibey ‘Memory Box’, followed by the equally bright and super laid back chord stabs of ‘Chop City‘ by fellow upcoming countrymen, Dj Raikov and Vaxiom. Familiar names to the blog include the always awesome Centauri with ‘Flight Path‘ and Proove with ‘Ask Me Nothing‘, followed by Denver’s Retina with one of my personal favourites on the compilation, ‘Keygen‘. It’s a refreshing shower of dazzling melodies and vibrant arpeggios, delivered by harp-like plucks and lively flute notes, like a soundtrack to an old videogame after dropping a tab.
Then the ambiguous Russian producer Nizth emerges from the shadows with the moody ‘Meton’, before the Japanese maestro that is Karnage tears it up once again with ‘Smurfin‘, another personal favourite that’s quickly found it’s way into the rotation.
We all know what Ninety is all about by now, so it comes as no surprise to see him arrive on such a stacked compilation with his contribution ‘Noonwraith‘. It’s another wild ride of slammin’ sub-movements and fiery percussion and a perfect pairing with the following track, today’s premiere, ‘Don’t Touch‘ by Crowley, which is equally as tough and twisted! By no means does the tracklist tail off in the latter stages either. Dr Cloud rips a hole in the dancefloor with the stomping industrial heat of ‘4-ho-met‘ and Gnischrew provides one of the most aggressive tracks on the record with the hectic percussion and electric mid-tones of ‘Pop Pop Pop‘. Following Karnage‘s earlier effort, FTH manages to snag a tune from Japan’s other dominant dubstep delectable, Dayzero, with the psychedelic throwback sounds of ‘Spooky Night‘, which lays the path for a concluding track by U.F.O. The underrated London based producer ends the record the right way with ‘We Need Each Other‘, a positive and unifying finale for all dedicated heads around the globe.
Compilation projects such as this are becoming quite the speciality for the FTH crew. Four editions deep and there still seems to be no misfires, especially throughout this latest effort which features some of the scene’s most intriguing rookies and veterans unleashing their most explosive material for the burgeoning LA label.
For The Heads Compilation Volume 4 is out now and available to download from the For The Heads Bandcamp.
Check out Crowley on Soundcloud and Instagram.
Check out For The Heads on Soundcloud and Instagram.