Monday 3 May 2010

PRE-ORDER: LV & Quarta 330 - Hylo/Suzaran (LV & Q330 Remix) [Hyperdub]



Rootsy Londoners LV and Japanese circuit-fryer Quarta 330: perhaps not the most likely pairing, but then LV’s joint effort with Untold proved them to be ruthlessly efficient collaborators. That said, ‘Beacon’ still sounded like the product of LV plus Untold, the obvious tropes of each artist’s sound retained to create something that, whilst still excellent, never quite exceeded the sum of its parts. So it’s to their credit that this collaboration is so well integrated – rather than simply placing 330’s chiptune tendencies over a deep and dub-infused backline, both tracks on this latest Hyperdub 12” hint at new and hitherto unexplored directions. Perhaps it’s due to the project’s swift gestation - reportedly pieced together over a brief period of time when both were in London for last November’s Hyperdub fifth birthday bash - but these tracks crackle with an agitated spontaneity quite different from anything either party has yet recorded.

A-side ‘Hylo’ is a prime example. Rattling past at shocking tempo, its opening bars provide a decent approximation of a hard-drive losing the plot hard, before a caffeinated shuffle kicks it into restless life. Quarta 330’s mangled chip trademarks are downplayed throughout, emerging as mere glimpses through its jittery structure. On the flip, their remix of Dong’s ‘Suzaran’ offers slightly less of a curveball, 330’s heavily effected voice cutting across a backing that rises and falls as though infused with artificial life. Its slower speed and more overt melodic sensibility make for a more satisfying listen, but both sides showcase a progressive sensibility in tune with many of Hyperdub’s big-hitters. As it stands these still feel like worthy experiments, the primer for something fuller still, so here’s hoping that this is one group effort that lasts beyond a single release.

Words: Rory Gibb
Out: Now

Links:
www.myspace.com/q330
www.myspace.com/lvbass

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