[Abucs]

The power of the sample simply cannot be ignored within the realms of electronic music. It is essentially how house music as we know it came to be; playing around by re-editing other records, reshaping older ideas, reinterpreting axioms of the strains that came before. Opinion can be ruthlessly divided amongst critics, fans and producers alike over just how much should be sampled, whether it should be done at all or how much credit should be given to the original. There now exist within electronic music countless versions based around the same samples to the point where they are seen as standards. First Choice’s cover of Al Green’s “Love and Happiness” has long been a house music standard, and the allure of those sultry, smoky tones still inspire today. Ation’s “Lovers Dub” on Scuba’s Abucs off-shoot enterprise pays its own homage to the track with a brilliantly deep, stripped back, steppers riddim that uses large portions of the vocal.

The atmospheric pads from the unheard of producer sweep across the track like a sweltering, tropical wind as they swirl over the muggy, blurred bass, the vocals shimmering with distortion like a sun drenched mirage. “Love for the Heads” takes its cues from vintage break-beats instead, utilizing fragments of a drum ‘n’ bass staple break used by the likes of Wax Doctor et al., pairing that up with the sort of smooth, jazz infected sounds you’d hear on an Alex Reece cut from around the same era. Equally thoughtful as “Lovers Dub,” these tracks are allowed plenty of room to breathe with their spacious, laid back aesthetic. Crucial for fans of the deepest modes of dubstep and shining examples of well used samples.