Brackles Songs for Endless Cities
The inaugural mix in a series meant to showcase young talent, Brackles‘ 17-track strut through […]
The inaugural mix in a series meant to showcase young talent, Brackles‘ 17-track strut through the post-dubstep landscape sounds, at times, more like a revival than the next leap forward. Deep house sounds and two-step rhythms are there if you want them, but it’s the stylish, oft-kilter beats and assured, fluid delivery that mark Rob Kemp as a DJ pursuing new directions. The 24-year-old co-owner of the Blunted Robots label maintains a tautness throughout, laying down a steady future-garage tempo that wavers slightly with prickly, prismatic beats and then snaps back into the grid. Every little glitch and undercurrent of a bassline points to his mastery of momentum; he plays loose with wobbly beats and space without stepping off the gas. Flying Lotus’ “My Chippy” opens, sounding like a spaceship setting down before the rubbery bass and crisp hi-hats of Floating Points’ “Peoples Potential,” a fitting first transition. Other selections, such as Kyle Hall’s “Luv for KMFH” and Brackles’ own track, “Blo,” shine, and the mix’s last song, Funkineven’s “Must Move,” nicely bookends the mix. Like Alexander Nut’s Rinse mix, Songs for Endless Cities exudes a slick, sophisticated quality without sacrificing the sense of reinvention and experimentation found in the ever-churning London music scene. A fitting choice to kick off a label called Cool in the Pool.