T.A.R. – ‘Amplivagent’ 12″ [Rarefied]

Here I thought Rarefied was going to make a name for themselves bringing forth the spirit of deep established dubstep and high-demand edits. And while their fourth release (counting Stronger on the Rare Black offshoot) does throw up an opening cut in that vein, the imprint has unexpectedly turned us inside out by partnering it with unique tracks of meditative beats and downwards techno.

One track in particular makes this worth the cost of the record. ‘Ephemeral’ is the opening cut on the b-side and a cracker of a head-nodder. The wobble of classic bass tunes is present but the construction is in the darker and spacier moments of VHVL or Dakim. Proper vibes all over this joint that sound as if they came from some raw hardware too. ‘I-O’ brings us back to the world of slow, melting techno experimentation that’s produced some of the most interesting records of recent years and does it exceptionally well.

I don’t know anything about T.A.R., the cat behind these releases. But at a time where producers seem to be overcrowding basic sounds in to their workings we’ve got movement here in the other direction: quality samples structured in to understated and matured workings.

Just dropped this week and in a limited 12″ run I believe. Popping up at the usual suspects, worth picking up quick.

Onwards and downwards – T.A.R’s debut vinyl release takes Rarefied deeper into a world of distortion, compression and the macabre. Bon Ding Ding – time for round three!