Basement Mood

• Track Listing

Frijsfo Beats believe everything they release is fresh. At the same time they understand it doesn't hurt to stay in touch with your roots, which is something Buzzin10 does in a fascinating way. We can't tell you much about this young producer from East London, a publicity-shy individual whose music the label first heard thanks to his older brother. But we do know he pieces together rhythms by sampling fragments from old tape packs, mainly Garage Nation's late '90s recordings of some of the best DJs of all time, including DJ EZ, Karl "Tuff Enuff" Brown, DJ Luck & MC Neat, and Ray Hurley. This record's grooves come reinforced with cast iron beats, the sort other people just don't make any more. That said, it could hardly be mistaken for an excercise in nostalgia, as the bump 'n' flex is a springboard for something more unsettling. The bittersweet atmosphere of 'Basement Mood' could be imagined as a mythical encounter, Grant Nelson versus Aphex Twin at his most haunting. By the same logic, 'String Ting' is an improbable meeting of M-Dubs and Drexciya, it's sharp breakbeat funk caught up in stormy arpeggios. 'Buzzin Twelve' is icier still, bouncing an ominous choral synth patch off of it's elastic bassline. Regardless of any connections with the past, such references only go so far in conveying Buzzin10's uniqueness. More importantly still, it's an established fact from rigorous testing that each of these tunes works without fail on a dancefloor. This EP is only a selection of the material lined up; listen up and keep your ears open for more.

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