One of the easiest ways to gauge the health of a music scene is to look at the preponderance of new labels being established, and the artists that are releasing on these labels. Joining the growing ranks of smaller labels is the newly formed Overdue imprint, hailing from Ghent, Belgium. Just a brief foray into the label’s mission statement lets you know that they are approaching things the right way, providing a vinyl-only imprint for the darker, more abstract interpretations of the bass music spectrum. The label is the brain-child of Corneel Goethals and Maxime Verloove, both with a rich history in the scene and who are now keen to help push artists they believe deserve more recognition.
Highlighting their talent for A&R, the first output on the imprint comes from prolific Belgian producer Zygos. After a busy 2017 with releases on Unity Through Sound, Rarefied, Sub Audio Records and Foundation Audio, Zygos comes through strong with this latest offering. Spread across three tracks, this release truly encapsulates the more forward-thinking sounds Zygos has been pushing these last few years. It’s one of those EPs where it’s very tricky to pick a stand-out track, as each is completely unique and hits your chestplate in a slightly different way to the others. Personally, the most interesting aspect of each of these tracks is the different approaches to creating a groove.
“Resilience” makes use of a heavily modulated vocal sample which combines with echoed percussion and some serious bass pressure to create a utterly psychedelic groove, whereas “Venery” experiments with a broken 4×4 drum pattern to create a techno infused dubstep beat pattern that’ll have you scratching your chin whilst you skank. Ultimately, experimentations with percussion is what Zygos does best and the Venery EP is a very logical and exciting continuation of the musical legacy of tracks such as “Gwari” on Rarefied and “Karma Dub” on Dubbing Sun Records, both of which equally highlight Zygos’ proficient blending of percussion with <30hz bass pressure. For a first outing on a new label, I honestly don’t think you could do any better. Considering this a limited vinyl-only release, purchasing now is definitely recommended, otherwise you can expect a fierce battle with the Discogs sharks in the not too distant future.
Venery EP is released February 26th and available from Redeye, White Peach, Deejay, Intense Records and the Overdue Store.
