[Hessle Audio]

A record from Joe is a seldom seen treat. One of those producers whose sense of mystery does not seem affected or contrived, he simply drops adventurous records — occasionally — which make an impact and will still be played a decade from now. This is primarily because they exist in that strange hinterland where true idiosyncrasy lives — they sound like absolutely nobody else. Odd, buzzy building blocks that roll out beautifully and feel organic in the true sense — drums that sound like they’re coming from inside a tree or reverberating around a wet cave, bass that has a 70s phat desk glow. Above all they afford a real sense of empowerment to the DJ — tracks that can be taken in any number of directions without sounding too tracky.

“Slope” is a slow-burning, garage-infused roller hinging on curious percussive gribbles that have been sourced from who knows where. Bubbling, four-note bass shuffles in time, before broken beats are joined — slowly — by a sinister tremolo pad and meaty 4/4 rhythm. This is about as far down river as Joe has gone, and he works that sweet spot between high dramatic tension and classy release. By proxy, “Maximum Busy Muscle” is a stern workout that references the more hallucinatory outposts of UK funky in its use of cascading carnival drum patterns, harsh rimshots and cut-up vocal snippets — very dance floor, very big stack. And while this is the most overtly rowdy track that Joe has produced, it has more than enough layered nuance to keep the interest. Two fine additions to the modest canon of one of the most consistently fascinating producers in the bass spectrum — essential rare grooves.