DubTape returns to Skip Audio in the label’s first solo EP.
The Barcelona based imprint has become a familiar sight across the cryptic, stripped back realms of minimal. Presenting a trio of elegant various artist EPs featuring the likes of Giuliano Lomonte, Fabrizio Maurizi and the recent Dorothy’s Dream, the collective’s intriguing sound has grown into a sought after item on wax.
Label founders and collaborative project DubTape explore a pensive journey throughout the ‘Bowery’ EP. Driven by the sleek and subtle, each track is dripping with meticulous sound design. Simple rhythms loop over and over, allowing for the sea of textures to take the focal point.
Field recording-like slithers and slides bring the beat to life, glistening with soothing and obscure frequencies to get lost in whether you’re decompressing at home after work, or comfortably riding out the after-hour dance floor.
The title track pins this aesthetic to a tee. Hosting a crafty, spiraling bassline, notes slip in and out of one another with a delightfully satisfying effect, immediately setting a vibe that sounds as if it has been looping for hours.
It’s a sign of the commonly opted jam-style approach, encouraging a natural flow state, whilst allowing synths and samples to tangle into one another. Sounds enter and leave the mix with a gentle charm, smoothly losing or adding a slick hi-hat or clap forming a masterfully subtle arrangement.
Energies are unobtrusive yet carry enough character to keep you hooked from the off. Whether it’s the first or last track you hear on the dance floor, the moreish groove of ‘Bowery’ is destined to leave you gasping for more. You can picture the likes of Dan Andrei or Dubtil slipping it into the mix deep into a marathon morning session, leaving listeners hungry for more of the exquisite beats.
‘Mineral Water’ brings a stunning hopeful exploration to the A side, waving luscious pads over trippy vocals and a lean, stripped back beat. ‘Pad Thai’ lifts the mood on the flip, bringing a bouncy bassline into funky rhythms and squelchy textures. The same track gets a classy rework from Sepp, working sleazy breaks and a fresh synth line to the mix to conclude this versatile and intriguing release.
Buy the record at decks.de.
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