It’s been a minute since Ipman’s “Depatterning” last year, but Jack Gibbons re-enlists on Pinch’s boundary defying label, Tectonic for a new single that follows up where “Depatterning” left off – fusing elements of dubstep, techno and the amorphous cloud of bass music. Here with “Constrict” and “Running Man”, Ipman continues to explore the same agenda but with a more floor focused intent that leaves one gasping for breath.
“Constrict” mines 2012 Osiris Music era technoid roller frame work that we at TRUSIK are in love with and can be found on Kryptic Mind’s “The Divide” or Killawatt’s “Centipede Effect”. Here though, Ipman attaches some peak-time acid batteries and laser fire that make it a track designed to do considerable damage in the clubs. Like its influences, “Constrict” is a stripped down roller, but that’s the beauty of it. So many 140 releases today lack the momentum that was found back then and it’s a welcome case study of why that technoid x dubstep experimentation that was found on Osiris was so critical during the dungeon era and continues to be an area worth further exploration.
While “Constrict” is firmly a dubstep tune, “Running Man” simmers the tempo into the bass music swamp with metallic dystopian textures. It’s an evil beat pure and simple with the hi-hats ticking away time as the sub pulses with a subtle funk. Gaseous clouds haze around the rhythmic pivots and static swarms of flies fill the gaps between. Especially with the continued motif of acidic 303s to burble away, it’s a plate that doesn’t have an ounce of fat on it and both will leaves the dance breathless.
TEC096 is out now and available from Unearthed Sounds, Redeye, Juno, Boomkat, Intense Records and the Tectonic Databeats Store. Catch Ipman at the Tectonic Label Night in London, April 7th 2017.
