Conrad Subs - Pretty Dangerous EP

Conrad Subs - Pretty Dangerous EP

Release Date: 14/08/2020

Label: Dubplate Dread

Catalog: DPD004

Having revived his acclaimed Dread Recordings imprint Dub Plate Dread in June after seven years of dormancy, original drum and bass architect Ray Keith continues to prove the offshoot’s credentials with its fourth release. After excelling with releases on Deep In The Jungle, Calypto Muzak and Soulvent earlier this year, fast-rising junglist and Ipswich native

Conrad Subs steps up to make his Dread debut with the hefty, diverse eight-track EP Pretty Dangerous.

The project commences with the rowdy “All Day”, which finds a patois-tinged vocal hook colliding with resonant sub-bass and blistering breaks. “Death of Me”, which follows, begins in a comparatively atmospheric manner, with tender falsetto lyrics and delay-soaked pads leading into a boisterous drop adorned with echoing sirens. The ensuing weapon “Dub Assault” is a feast for the ears, dominated by an onslaught of sheer bass-weight until the introduction of a snappy, more percussive melody around the song’s halfway mark wholly transforms its character. Meanwhile, the Breaking Bad-inspired “Heisenbass” is an innovative number interspersed with serene ambient passages. At its snarling pinnacle, the track rapidly fluctuates between different breaks, deploying a vast array of rhythmic devices and filter sweeps to make for a refreshingly unpredictable listening experience.

Revolving around a shuffling groove, “Minotaur” finds heavyweight drums, earthy bass stabs and airy plucks colliding before transforming into a grittier soundscape for its second drop. The EP’s title track and centrepiece “Pretty Dangerous”, a hotly anticipated dub previously teased by Ray on his Pyro Radio show, is an impish stepper marked by pulsating, staccato basslines. Penultimate offering “Screwface” has a rather self-explanatory title: this intense, abrasive number will have fans contorting their faces in approval. The project reaches a cinematic conclusion with “Strike Me Down”, a slower, nostalgic number bringing together iconic breaks, rave stabs and coarse basslines. Seeing out Conrad’s exceptional label debut in style, this will leave no doubt that the Suffolk selecta is a star in the making.

Pre-Order link coming soon Beatport / Juno

Dubplate Dread:

Beatport / Juno

Conrad Subs:

Beatport / Juno / Soundcloud

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Posted by Brenton Clerkin