The Brighton based Well Rounded label follow up a couple of pretty addictive releases from the likes of Deadboy and Hackman with another bumpy offering from new Welsh crew on the block, C.R.S.T. who are channeling those old school garage vibes and are really running with them. Where some of the new wave of ‘future garage’ dubbed music doesn’t have that slinky garage bump this EP vibes off the old school for sure; you can hear Armand Van Helden’s speed garage or DJ Zinc’s rave-adled broken garage as much as you can MJ Cole or El-B but its kept vibrant from the sheer rawness and dance floor energy.
Phone lines bubble into action on the opening number ‘Dial The Operator’ with simple bleepy melodic stabs and snappy garage beats before a big old Bingo era Zinc-esq bassline pulses underneath it all. Things get a little more four to the floor on ‘May Not Be Real’ but it gets funked up with skippy percussive accents and bitter sweet diva samples bubbling over it all. Things get kind of Van Helden on ‘Need You’ - its reminiscent of his hit ‘You Don’t Know Me’ in the drums at least - it bumps along in fine style before dropping some plastic jazz samples for good measure and the ultra skippy ‘Walk On’ lilts with its little percussive flutters that play off the one note bass pulse that sounds like an alien species of frog trying to get your attention.
Well Rounded are making moves; dropping releases that keep on creeping up on you. The Deadboy and Hackman 12"s are so musical and infectious that reaching for them in a set just puts a smile on your face and the Revival EP has the same draw, though they do it a little bit tracky and with a stronger garage flex. This is one for the mix when you want it fun and bumpy.
Words: James Balf
Out: "Late July"
Links:
www.myspace.com/crstuk
www.myspace.com/wellroundedrecords
