A musical community needs to attract the interest of all kinds of artists to stay healthy. The hardcore fans of certain sounds will cultivate their preferred aesthetics, while the fringe artists explore how genres relate to each other promoting cross-pollination and innovation. Veteran producers will provide historical perspective, and fresh faces bring backgrounds different from those that were seminal to a certain movement, enriching the output in the process.
Under this light, the next release from Causa on Artikal Music is quite symbolic. Causa has been making waves for a couple of years on FatKidOnFire, with a few free downloads and the FKOFd019 EP in May 2015, all challenging the boundaries between the darker shades of bass and those more spaced-out tunes closer to the dub roots which seem to be getting more popular of late. This is a departure for Artikal, considering the back catalogue from J:Kenzo’s label is of a different breed than those putting out records more prone to experimentation a la King Tubby.
The Undubbed EP is moodier then FKOFd019. There is more of Artikal’s darkness, and it seems to represent more of a step for the label then the artist, conceptually speaking. Context aside, these 4 tracks are some serious sonic tools. Powerful basslines rolling over the soundscape with heavy reliance on traditional effects for variation, they will make everyone tremble before it.
We’re premiering “Stages”, a powerful example of Causa’s unique approach to the sound system pressure systems. Innovative yet well rooted in the tradition of dub music, with a heavy reliance on the bassline in front, and centre of the track. Artful effect usage and mixing bring out the engineering side of production as the focus of creative effort. It’s really impressive what can be achieved with just a few key elements, when there is a clear vision behind the creative effort, and Causa has once again offered us a shattering glimpse of a truly powerful picture. He is an artist we should all keep on our radar.
ARTKL022 is released June 10th and available from Unearthed Sounds, Redeye and the Artikal Music Store.
