Keeping its release schedule relentless, Infernal Sounds follows up excellent EPs from Sub Basics and Karnage with another three-tracker that sees San Francisco-based Saule returning with his usual taste for floating minimalist dubstep tracks. Backed with an intense remix courtesy of Chestplate’s Mesck, IFS007 is yet another great addition to Infernal Sounds’ catalogue, as well as a release that shows Saule’s ability to produce diverse sounds while still unfolding a distinctive atmosphere.
“Cure Dem”, which opens the release, is probably its most memorable. An impressive production, “Cure Dem” mostly relies on its stomping drum pattern, on rattling sub bass, and on its darting vocal sample that keeps uttering the track title. The track keeps an aerial feeling, yet seems able to shake any dancefloor with its threatening sounds. Saule builds a surreal banger that displays its own, unique character, and keeps all its flavour after repeated listens.
On the B-side, “Suede” is a deeper affair, using similar elements to produce different effects. The bassline here is both obscure and weighty, nearly staying out of sight, then becoming more insistent when needed. The sluggish vocals bring even more pressure in the track, making it more ponderous than “Cure Dem”, with a slower savour that balances the energy that was at the core of the first track. On the remix, Mesck makes good use of the space left by the original track to introduce his own sound language without altering the track. Mesck brings typically heavy synths in the mix, offering a suffocating twist on “Suede”, and a remix that seems to lie between the original and Mesck’s own recent “The Veil“.
IFS007 is another great release from Infernal Sounds, confirming the UK label’s irreproachable curation. Saule composes an EP that appears to incorporate perfectly in the aesthetics formed by Infernal Sounds’ previous releases, and puts forward his own shade of this sound.
IFS007 is out now and available from Unearthed Sounds, Redeye, White Peach, Juno, Intense Records and the Infernal Sounds Store.
