[Tectonic]

When Headhunter re-entered the UK club scene as Addison Groove, crash landing with the anthemic “Footcrab,” it was a startling and polarizing transformation, introducing a new dance music form to that hotbed of styles. Some like Mike Paradinas of Planet Mu were supporters of the Chicago style known as footwork or juke and championed this new incarnation, propelling “Footcrab” to be one of the most played tracks in 2010. Others were baffled by this break from the dominant dubstep music Headhunter came up in. Curiously, Addison Groove’s latest single for Tectonic shows more restraint and subtlety than “Footcrab” while adding the influences of techno, house and acid.

The long, stuttering intro of “This Is It” is strangely divorced from the percussive puzzle the ensuing track builds. Each section continues to pour more and more dense 808 patterns into the proceedings, crafting a fairly hectic, high frequency bass frenzy. The traditional cut-up and repeated vocal sample builds the tension, even though it’s thrown out the door during the lush bridge that feels at once out of place and like a welcome stop-gate. Sure enough the track breaks after this respite and short blasts of old school synths assault the climax. In some ways, this marks a break from most juke and footwork, imposing a narrative structure to the track not usually found in the club hits. Along these same lines, “Make Um Bounce” feels like an amped up step back into straight-up techno, with a rigid pattern kicks rolling over everything it’s path and a sinuous acid line winding in fits and spurts throughout. It would make an interesting impact on the frenetic footwork of Chicago, mutating the rhythmic focus into a full body workout. In the past, most juke has been somewhat crude-on-purpose, leaving a layer of grime over everything. Addison Groove’s takes are very polished, though, a holdover from the sometimes pristine production of dubstep producers. “This Is It” and “Make Um Bounce” are skeletal and dry, like schematics of bass drums and synths. They set him apart from his progenitors but also exhibit the ways in which cultural music can be built upon, making a wider variety for listeners and club-goers to enjoy.