After a few years of building one of the most exciting and reliable platforms in the genre, Infernal Sounds opened up another avenue in 2021 with a desire to introduce new talent to the label. Moving from a sole focus on physical vinyl releases, IFS’s digital exclusive series has brought a slew of new names to the roster including Khanum, Mungk, Substrada and most recently, Mythm, Oxossi and Kodama. And with two years of these regular releases under their belt, we’re treated to an album version, ‘Future Forms‘, where these familiar names and even more roster debutants come together to contribute some of their finest cuts! Today I have the pleasure of presenting the record’s finale track ‘Ey!’, courtesy of one of my long time favourite producers, Soukah.
With no fewer than seventeen tracks on this thing, it would take some doing to express my usual thoughts and observations on each and every track, but it’s worth pointing out some favourites and those who are making their mark on IFS for the very first time! Despite the fact that we’re immediately confronted by a mere veteran of the genre at this point, unbelievably, this is Bisweed‘s first appearance on the label with ‘By My Side‘. It’s an opening track that reminds us of why he’s garnered so much respect within the scene over the years and why he belongs on all the major imprints with his brand of groove infused, colourful 140. We move on to producers who’ve graced the imprint beforehand such as SWR with the delicate ethereal synths of ‘Continuum Transfer‘, and previous contributors to the digital series such as Khanum with the lively ‘Undisclosed‘ and Kodama with the mystical melodies of ‘Boo’ya Moon‘. Dayzero also returns after an appearance on the label’s last comp, with the full-bodied glitch-heavy ‘Obsidian‘. Label debuts come from ESP, Proove, Gnasha, Blottarz and New Zealand whizz kid Dusty, who featured on my ‘Producers To Watch‘ list earlier this month. He comes through with the ruff ‘n tuff roller ‘Jinx‘, which outlines his intentions going forward by busting the bass bins with heavy oscillating basslines. My personal favourites unsurprisingly come from usual suspects such as Subtrada, who brings the characteristically dark and bouncy basslines and funky vocal cuts of ‘Babiru‘, as well as today’s premiere ‘Ey!‘ by Soukah, who opens up the sound to a more cinematic level with huge tension-filled synths and another dose of bouncy dancefloor capturing bass design. OZ & EKSTR‘s ‘Electricity‘, is the record’s lone collaborative piece and another favourite of mine, stacked with piercing drum stutters and fizzing bass pressure that would in fact send an electrifying buzz through the spines of the dance on the right system.
With all that said, there’s still tracks courtesy of Saraphim, Mistah, Rakjay and the mighty Conzi to contend with, bringing their distinct styles to yet another triumphantly curated record from the Infernal Sounds crew. If you’re looking for the pinnacle of the genre going into 2023, you’ve found it.
‘Future Forms‘ LP is out 27/01/2023 and available to download here.
Check out Soukah on Soundcloud and Instagram.
Check out Infernal Sounds on Soundcloud and Instagram.