Fresh from representing Hamdi, one of the UK’s most impressive break outs this year, HNYBSS mainstay Locus Sound goes international this month by bringing along Ma Barka to their impressive catalogue! It’s the New Zealand duo’s debut release and the pair could not have put together a spicier three course EP for LOCUS024, including today’s premiere, ‘Sizzle‘.
The opening ‘Sizzle‘ flips you straight onto a scorching dancefloor like a burger to a grill and establishes Ma Barka‘s main motive – to get those feet twitching. It’s impossible not to once you’re absorbed into the buoyant nature of the track’s dominant bassline, animated by rhythmic oscillations before it becomes super-charged with harsher textures. Hidden behind lies Ma Barka‘s darker atmospherics, which plays a part in the thicker, swampier title track ‘Killsound‘, packed with crunchy industrial flavours and a minimal yet effective drum palette that pierces through unforgiving LFO violence. Via ‘Killsound‘, it’s a militant march towards the finale piece, where the Ma Barka breaks out the breaks. ‘Ha Hum‘ packs a punch where the pair utilises an emerging trend of breakbeat injections. It’s a seamless fusion with strong reesey dubstep fundamentals and sharp dance driven grooves as Ma Barka leaves you with their best!
Locus Sound has established itself as one of the few labels with the ability to search for and attract those at the top of their game or those who’re just getting started. Although Ma Barka fits into the latter, it’s impossible to tell with powerful material like this. Keep producing this kind of heat and we’ve got another innovative dubstep duo to watch out for!
‘Killsound‘ EP is out 01/07/2022 and available to download from the Locus Sound Bandcamp.
Check out Ma Barka on Soundcloud and Instagram.
Check out Locus Sound on Soundcloud and Instagram.
