The Netherlands native returns to Artikal Music with his second release featuring the highly anticipated ‘Haze VIP’, the 2 stepping ‘Gunman’ and the intergalactic stepper ‘The Cosmonaut’. The three track release finds TMSV developing a more expansive sound palate that balances both the light and dark elements of dubstep into tunes that are subtle and refined, characterised by rich melodic tapestries anchored by body-shivering bass weight.
Prefacing the scene-setting bongo solo with a instantly recognisable sample, ‘Haze VIP’ teases out the solo again in a fake out that can whip a dance into a frenzy. It’s all informed by a steppas indebted rhythm that has more then enough heft to make a system shake. ‘Gunman’ finds TMSV’s penchant for reggae front and center with the use of gun-shot samples and rudebwoy chatter to frame his trademark congo workout. ‘Gunman’ strikes a balance between the light, fleeting percussion and unrelenting bass-line. Uncharacteristically, ‘Gunman’ eschews TMSV’s exotic melodic sense in favour of paranoid fragments of a warbling three-note drone.
Finally, TMSV takes a unique turn into more aggressive territory that we haven’t seen before. ‘The Cosmonaut’ is based around martial, almost Trap-like, hi-hat patterns and a low-slung sub that is deep in the pocket. What seems to be FM crackle is interspersed in between TMSV’s haunting flute phrases that adds to the astral themes at play. In a stylistic shift, TMSV grafts dark-side mid-range swipes, a welcome change of pace from a producer more known for crafting melodically rich and meditative tribal rhythms.
ARTKL012 will be released March 10th and is available to pre-order from the Artikal Music Store.
