Bleep

The second volume of Etch’s Altered Roads series drops via the label of the same name. Much like March’s Altered Roads Volume 1, the four tracks here balance a penchant for Ghost Box-style oddity with hard-hitting beats that nod to both jungle and old-school hip-hop. Opener ‘Lost Orbit (Chrome Drum VIP)’ is an unusual trip. The combination of phased breaks with spoken passages that could have been culled from old public service broadcasts brings to mind the sample experiments of golden-age DJ Shadow. ‘Phenomena’, built on throbs of bass and eerie vocals, is equally out there. The wonky step of ‘Beggars Belief’ and short-but-sweet closer ‘Paging Dr. Octagon’ both have a little J Dilla about them.