Our sixth VA compilation continues in the collective spirit at the heart
of Pressure Dome; here taking its fullest form. The first of its kind
in the label catalogue, ‘Two [Is Greater Than] One’ sees a selection of
PD regulars and friends of the label put their heads together across
eight atmospheric tracks, equally as suited to the club as to solo
listening.
Those who have followed the label for a while will be no stranger to the
comp’s first collaborator. Human Resources teams up with London dub
techno specialist, Keplrr, on ‘Spring’: a mood-led composition where the
impact is contained in atmosphere. Fragmented drum breaks are engulfed
by airy synth pads and punctuated by a dancehall-indebted rhythm that
marches at 90BPM. ‘Yuppel’ welcomes Noods Radio mainstay Sid Quirk aka
Keppel into the mix. He is joined by label boss, Yushh, on a ruminative
percussive tool, guided by cavernous drums that fabricate a vivid,
immersive environment. With the guidance of Brighton’s Caldera, the
journey continues with ‘Süss Choc’. The reverb-laden synth plucks on
‘evoke water droplets, and hallucinatory details echo around them to
create the illusion of being in a mountainous cove.
Delay Grounds – an audiophile in the truest sense of the word – is next
to take the baton. Together, he and Yushh take it up a notch on
‘Telomere’ – a full-bodied club-ready track packed with glitchy chords
and giddy drums. A gnarly, Pariah-esque breakdown segues into the
track’s second wind where pitched-up vocal chops accelerate it to the
compilation’s energetic climax. With the help of London drum specialist,
Syz, ‘Fuzbidun’ keeps our feet firmly on the dancefloor. Breakbeats are
chopped and rearranged, flitting between double and half time whilst a
distorted mid-bass roughens things round the edges, prepping the ground
for the compilation’s move to a more inorganic feel.
Bristol don, Forever, joins Yushh next on ‘Passing Notes’ – a
groove-driven club track where skittish percussion ricochets from side
to side, so palpable it tempts the touch. ‘Crash Bash Party At BUFOs’ is
no different. The link-up between Delay Grounds and dance music’s
stalwart of musique concrète, Wordcolour, is completely idiosyncratic to
both artists: the perfect combination of found-sound percussion and
skillfully rehashed vocal samples. It’s up to two PD mainstays – Roy
Mills and Human Resources – to close proceedings. A chugging rhythm
bubbles under the surface of ‘Sycophantasy’, sending us on a dubbed-out
trip before picking the pace back up again.
Tracklist:
1. Keplrr & Human Resources – Spring
2. Keppel & Yushh – Yuppel
3. Caldera & Yushh – Suss Choc
4. Delay Grounds & Yushh – Telomere
5. Syz & Yushh – Fuzbidun
6. Forever & Yushh – Passing Notes
7. Delay Grounds & Wordcolour – Crash Bash Party At BUFO’s
8. Roy Mills & Human Resources – Sycophantasy