Bleep

While Minneapolis-based Jon Davis aka Ghostband only has a few releases on better known labels to his name – his collaborations with Dosh for Anticon – the underground producer can look back on a large number of excellent cassette releases on his own Valhallic label. Taking cues from his experiment in Grime Synthesis (2016) and the jungle madness of 2015’s Glory, Colder sees the visionary analog tinkerer continue this journey in high-energy fashion.

With all songs sequenced, then performed and recorded on hardware in real time, there’s a rare sense of approachability to his complex arrangements: ironically and in contrast to the glacial aesthetics most prevalent in newer grime, the hard-hitting percussion, deep subs and eerie synth patterns of ‘Armored’ radiate warmth if anything, luring us into his dark world of sounds. Unexpected twists and turns occur over its duration of more than seven minutes; the song assumes different shapes, conjuring an unheard mix of dub, jungle, grime and techno.