As a Grad student, Sach O gets a boner when people use words like “Apparatus.”
With UK Bass gone Funky, Neon, Automatic, Instrumental Grime and Mala-knows-what-else in light of its continuing rise in profile, it’s easy to forget that some of the best music to emerge from this musical continuum simply can’t function under the glare of the spotlight. Dark, subterranean, underground experiments wither and die when faced with a 1000 strong crowd of antsy ravers, a condition that can quite often kill the very elements that made the music interesting in the first place. Thankfully, underground sounds are like wack-a-mole: they keep popping up in different places and just when you think an area’s devoid of life…
Mala’s Deep Medi Muzik could be accused of Dubstep traditionalism by now, having mostly stuck to the tried and true method and bass + space but this mix from new recruit Old Apparatus is quick to dispel such notions. Yes, it’s dark and atmospheric but the musical DNA has shifted and evolved, resulting in powerful new mutations: electro-accoustic feedback litters the soundscape, vast open spaces hold no dancefloor ambitions and the label’s signature Roots aesthetic is ignored in favor of a colder, more brutal futurism. It’s 17 minutes of anti-funk, accompanied by a website full of bizarre imagery that hints at a greater artistic mythology worth keeping an eye on. If you’re still buried in snow tonight, you need this in your life.
Download:
MP3: Old Apparatus – Promo Mix
