Valken (EP)

Forever spawning the next generation of bass mutations, Civil Music's Reso brings an unsurpassed low-end density and textured sound that decidedly makes genres redundant. Wobble, hypercrunk, glitch, hip hop, dubstep, industrial and D&B all blend together for a concoction that only Reso can create, and one that consistently redefines the electronic sphere. In-between working with Hospital Records (with Slap Chop) and remixing the likes of Drop The Lime, Foamo, Qemists and dEbruit (among others), with 'War Machine / Valkan' Reso is setting the precedence for 2011, giving the bass world a fierce blueprint to follow.

Make no mistake: 'War Machine / Valkan' is not a record for the faint-hearted. It's certainly not suitable background music, and probably should come equipped with an explicit NSFW label. It will, however, be a record for discerning listeners who appreciate the subtleties and complexities that go into high-tech productions that carry this much conceptual and compositional weight, as is always the case with London's chameleonic and many-masked mastermind. This is the sound of the end of the world, of machines breaking and technology folding, when all that's left is carnal rage and chaos. A forceful onslaught of sound, the four tracks on Reso's 'War Machine / Valkan' EP intricately mesh high amp leads and emphatic beats that entrance any dancefloor into riotous frenzy.

Brutal rhythms command and frequencies drop as 'War Machine' kicks things off: a most fitting title for the ominous sounds of all hell breaking loose, where nothing - and no one - will remain in one piece. The rugged sonic explosion is carefully measured, as tearing beats fly recklessly like vicious shrapnel slamming against tough, concrete bass walls. 'Expansion Ratio' teases with elements of a break from the chaos, and then slams back down with bumping melodies and hyperactive leads. 'Syndicate' takes a page out of the tech end of the D&B book, but with drum patterns that change so unexpectedly, heads will be thrown into another bass dimension. A mastery of rhythm and warm synth-laden fills, the EP does tease with a wash of hope, with his expansive 'Aethra' conjuring the peaceful feeling of the early atmospheric tracks of Photek and Bukem. Yet a calm shuddering bassline serves as a foreboding reminder of where the EP has just come from, and that perhaps the peace may not last long. We'll just have to wait and see what lies await in Reso's next project: his debut album due later in 2011 on Civil Music.