YAB London Rating: ★★★★★

Today marks the second release of South London bass label Shades of Grey and also it marks the debut release of producer Warsnare and his EP!

As you can probably tell, it is released under Shades of Grey Recordings and they have a great reputation for broadcasting some of the finest and most authentic bass sounds. Well I like to think so anyway because I haven’t come across anything like what the label release. If you haven’t been to their events, (next one being on the 2nd March at Plan B, Brixton), you will find that the music they like to affiliate themselves with is very much bassy but also very much different from what you would call bass music. It’s out of the box. It’s abstract. It’s a blank canvas turned Dalí, unlike some labels out there who take shape as a Jackson Pollock painting - expensive, overrated and pointless. Warsnare’s EP is exactly what Shades of Grey is, hence why I like his release because it’s so god damn different from everything else that’s being shared on the internet.

Starting the journey on the first track “The Astral Bells” is like waking up to see the sun rise. That’s what I see when I listen to this track simply because it’s so melodic, charming and it can put a smile on anyone’s face. It’s the same with the second track on the EP, “Warsnare” however the - how can I put this - war snares in the introduction sound pretty darn scary at first, but once the track kicks in, you realise it isn’t a scary track at all. In fact, it’s a joyful one. It’s a bit like one’s first experience smoking cannabis. Despite the schizophrenic behaviour, “Warsnare” goes down just as well as a pint of Guinness and with over 25 plays in my iTunes play count, I’m sure you can tell I like it.

The fourth track “Elipse” is ridiculously faster than the previous two tracks I’ve talked about and doesn’t follow a structure which makes you expect for the drop or breakdown to happen in the beginning. This, I like. I hate tracks which follow a structure, unless it’s house music then yes, it needs to have some sort of structure. Warsnare takes advantage of the tools he has in “Elipse” to create one hell of a musical piece. A Music Composition graduate from Goldsmiths University, you can tell he knows how to produce and knows how to use his tools efficiently and wisely. It also shows he knows production in the last track “Sedna”, where all the low frequencies - that’s your bass and whatnot, are used to give the track an identity, a feel and nature, instead of just relying on synths to carry the track forward.

One that stands out however is the track “Eris”, which I haven’t spoke about yet until now and there’s one reason for this. It’s f**king outstanding, so much so that I can’t find a word to describe how outstanding it is and have to rely on the f-word to express my love for it. Seeing as I love Dubstep - well I used to, I just like it because it’s slowly being degraded by America’s idea of there being a “filth factor” involved - this track, “Eris”, takes Dubstep on a whole different level. I haven’t even asked Warsnare myself if it is Dubstep, but it sure has the structure and it’s a track that the Dubstep genre needs badly to rescue it from salvation from the wrath of the American filth Dubstep scene. It’s the best track on the EP in my opinion for many reasons as it’s very harmonic and carries a very deep sense to it. The vocals are also cleverly reverbed (echoed) to further deepen the track and there’s also a trickling sound in the break which actually gives it texture, no joke. I closed my eyes while listening to it on my iPod and honestly, I tried to reach out and feel if it was raining. 

Some might call it chillstep, some might call it lovestep, some might even call it Dubstep because it has the feel and foundation of Dubstep. Me however, I call it a pièce de résistance, simply because it defies everything what Dubstep is supposed to be in today’s standards. You can buy the EP on iTunes here for only £2.49. In the words of Warsnare himself, “that’s cheaper than a pint of beer!”

The official video of Eris can be watched by clicking here. I wanted to embed, but it didn’t allow me to!

WEST COAST PHENOMENONS Cypress Hill have announced that they have collaborated with UK dubstep producer Rusko.

The californian hip hop collective will release a 5 track EP called ‘Cypress Hill X Rusko’ and will feature Rusko on production on all 5 tracks.

I would have never imagined that this would happen - an iconic hip hop/rap collective going Dubstep. But the thing is, they got Rusko by their side which means that it will go down well. I’ve heard the first track and it is absolutely incredible as they got the balance absolutely right!

Download their first track “Roll It, Light It” via spin.com