It’s been impossible to go past Itinerant Dubs across the last 12 months. Still a production name shrouded in mystery, we can only assume that the duo (taken from what little we do know) have been in the studio releasing for years. And now with constant quality plates coming under this moniker, the artists have set a new standard for self-releasing vinyl, now up to their fourth drop on the Honest Jon’s distributed Itinerant Dub label.
The Non-Material Space EP is no exception to this standard, even managing to flip the sound that we loved from the earlier plates and keep us captivated, tidying things up with more beat and swing, but keeping it spacious, FX’d and dusty at the same time. Just how we like it when carrying the word ‘dub’.
With a defined bounce, manipulated vocal loops (see if you can spot the Chicago house sample) and vinyl rubs for the first time, the ten-minute title track ‘Non Material Space’ is absolute standout. The ‘live-edit’ vibe is still present if not as prevalent, and most-importantly the deep sound system bass has gotten even heavier. This is the club-track, put forward as a skankier version of Surgeon or that can be brought in between some murkier Faze Action or early Marcellus Pittman.
On a side-note, if you like this cut make sure you check out the 7″ that Itinerant Dubs offered up for Record Store Day. I only recently got it in the same package as this, but playing them together and it seems that the untitled RSD release is further along this edited vocal path, which in itself would’ve sounded at home on Madteo’s TTT cassette release. Unexpected, but incredibly good.
Anyway, back to the new EP. If you flip it over the first cut on the b-side is in even newer territory for Itinerant Dubs, bringing in more of a drum-machine boogie on ‘Last Snare (1st Mix)’, with programmed drum parts that could’ve been contributed by Arabian Prince or Marcus Mixx. As expected, it’s gone through the analog effects wringer however, coming out with a proper raw warehouse bump.
Closing off the three track record is ‘Dub Echo’, a proper return to the sub-bass sonics that we’ve come to expect from the past three drops. Running at about half-the-tempo of the other two, it keeps you on constant edge, with each kick and snare stretched out constantly sounding unpredictable and on edge, but staying in some form of meditative rhythm. When we say this is built for a decent system, we’re not just bigging up the production styles; you literally won’t hear half this track on below-par speakers or phones.
No wonder this is wax only, whoever’s behind these drops know how to crafts sound. We’re not going to up any videos or mp3s, but plenty of stores are hosting the preview clips. What we will do is post the recent Juno Plus Podcast (just under the short but sweet press release) that Itinerant Dubs threw up, well worth a listen if you’re not familiar with what they do. Get on the plate before it sells out.
via Honest Jons
Tech dub, hissing and decombobulated, cloudier than the crisp improvisation of previous outings.
Non Material Space is a side-long march recalling 2000-Black-vintage Dego; Last Snare is a percussive stomper, with the sampled vocalese of classic Chicago house; Dub Echoes is a homage to the basement-session continuum.