[Idle Hands]

Idle Hands have a burgeoning reputation for releasing twisted and subbed out house music from a small group of Bristolian producers. With the exception of Szare’s recent platter, the emphasis has been on slow-burning tracks at a low pace (around 110 bpm). However, this new 12″ from AnD is a more energetic affair, and marks perhaps the imprint’s first truly vital release. “Lights Down” is masterfully atmospheric and violently futurist techno dub. The kick is a low-lit sub pulse around which AnD builds a collection of sounds invoking total head and body hold. Echo, beautifully rendered beeps and trills, pummeling bass — really, what’s not to like? The music has an interesting visual quality as well, but it’s more like a lucid dream than a cinematic accompaniment. Like Shackleton, this music speaks equally of shamanic dread and natural beauty and stays with you for a long while after the record has stopped playing.

Turning over, “Hydrothermal” is even tougher. Built around a hard Rolando-style kick/tribal bongo pattern and brittle snare, the track represents a direct play for the dance floor but is in no way a throwaway. Indeed, the afro-futurist vibes are continued and built on, leaving the whole package feeling utterly convincing. It is rare to find records that work on a functional yet cerebral level, and both sides on this release do exactly that and will find favor with techno and more left-field players alike. If you had Idle Hands down as purveyors of only smoky back room fare, it is time to reassess; this release is fierce in every sense. It is also important to note that although these two tunes are something of a departure, tempo-wise, from the Idle Hands back catalog, the vibe of the label (heads down, experimental, bass weight) is kept very much aflame. This is a very solid record that’s likely to gain serious traction this winter.