Locus Sound signals the end of a typically busy year for the label with their annual compilation! Like it’s predecessors, Vol. 4 features many artists familiar to the label plus much needed new talent that we can expect to return to the imprint next year. We’re not just limited to the average dubstep material either, as Locus Sound reflect their multi-genre ambitions throughout fifteen boundary pushing tracks. However you know me, it’s all about the deep 140 here at H&B which is why I have the pleasure of presenting Delta‘s rough ‘n tough, ‘Potion Delight‘.
Beginning with ‘Acompanha O Grave‘, a funky body moving collab between Oxossi & Korsain and some familiar 11th Hour ambience with ‘Symmetry‘, the diversity within this collection quickly becomes apparent. The up-and-coming Spectre keeps the dark 140 vibes alive with the 808 driven ‘Drive‘, before fellow fledgling producer Hojo becomes the first to switch things up by entering the dancefloor friendly ‘Dojo‘. This bouncy percussion driven number isn’t one that I’d usually go for but, like the few genre-blurring projects Locus has put out this year, it fits the label’s vision perfectly. This will come as a surprise to no one, but the familiar swampy curiosities of Substrada on ‘Shibambo‘ and the dynamic melodies of Darkai‘s ‘Sandscript’ are two of my stand out tunes alongside today’s premiere, ‘Potion Delight‘ by Birmingham’s Delta. A tune of constant switches and murky bass design, Delta‘s flavour of 140 is both tough and energetic and one that I can’t wait to hear more of.
Now synonymous with this annual project, Locus Sound offers a stack of other new names to check out including New Zealand’s Dusty with the wobbly and vibrant ‘Brute‘, and Hunch‘s infectiously sharp arpeggios of ‘Achy‘. Elidan, Mondaigai and Sherwood also debut on the label with their own distinct brand of dubstep, as well as a cut-throat collaboration between Anecho and Cryosauna with the reese lathered stomps of ‘Crush Mechanics‘.
Contributing some familiarity to the track list, New Zealand’s latest dubstep duo Ma Barka, returns to the imprint following their ‘Killsound’ EP earlier this year. The aptly named ‘Skull Crusher’ provides more pounding bass-driven aggression and is probably one of the most malignant and ‘loudest’ tunes of the lot!
The release’s final collaboration between Kontent and Sentient sits as the perfect finale piece, where the pair epitomise the range of sound on this project. The slower strung out ‘Trapped Inna‘ is a signature piece of dungeon darkness from the pair, laced with menacing tones and textures in a deep cavernous setting.
It seems more than ever that Locus Sound are rightly determined to introduce new names to the roster and the genre as a whole with this compilation. A project that gives us an insight into what to expect from the label in 2023 and the genre in general where the boundaries continue to expand.
LOCUSLP004 is out 09/12/2022 and available to download from the Locus Sound Bandcamp.
Check out Delta on Soundcloud and Instagram.
Check out Locus Sound on Soundcloud and Instagram.