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12"
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STAIN 001EP
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"Belgium's Stainage crew run the leading night dedicated to all open-minded sounds of the bass spectrum in their home city of Brussels. They have regularly attracted many of the UK and Europe's foremost dubstep and grime DJs as guest selectors, and they now launch their label with this shapeshifting four track EP, showcasing the talents of Grimelock and Saviour, two of the crew's founding members, who each offer a pair of intriguingly-flavored and horizon-broadening cuts. Producer extraordinaire Grimelock is the beating heart of Stainage, and he fires first with 'Justice,' aiming straight for the target with a combination of grime energy and punishing electro-bass sonorities. The atmosphere is dark and oppressive, but the moody tones are balanced by infectious half-step beats and irresistible bass, a recipe mixed only with the dancefloor in mind. With rhythms designed to flatten whole city blocks and a disorientating collection of spiraling synth tones and effects borrowed from the harshest of early 90s Belgian techno, this ominously-addictive low-end scarifier is the sound of the heyday of R&S launched howling and headlong into 2008. Next up, a switch of style with 'Glow,' an astonishingly heavyweight tribute to old school influences of the UK hardcore house sound, made with a contemporary dubstep feeling. Built around soulful and intricately edited female voice samples, 'Glow' rides a tickling Burial-esque woodblock garage rhythm, rising on huge clouds of thunderous sub-bass. Precise string motifs and chiming synths add a welcome continental melodic sensibility, while an envelopingly-dynamic arrangement is the key component in a real hands-aloft bass anthem. Saviour takes side two with the aptly-titled 'Stampede,' a pounding iron man giant of track which has been overwhelming the Stainage crowds for months. Booming dubstep beats and weapons-grade wobble are the muscle and bone, with a climbing fuzztone synth riff which worms its way through a rolling cycle of build ups and drops. Direct and deliberately uncomplex, 'Stampede' is strength in simplicity. 'Darkness Fall' is another Saviour-signature towering cut, with an hypnotic intro dissolving into barrage of pure bass. Again, resolutely dubstep in formation, 'Darkness Fall' is an excellent mix of deep vibes and power, all low-tempo atmospherics and high impact sonics."
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