[Hemlock Recordings]

As co-owner of Hessle Audio (alongside Pearson Sound and Ben UFO), Pangaea has helped curate some of the most seminal bass music of the past decade. His personal catalog is just as vital, though, and his sparse productions are among the absolute highlights of the Hessle catalog. But this, his first release for Untold’s Hemlock imprint, marks perhaps his creative apex thus far. “Hex” is as uncompromising a track as you are likely to hear this year: a taut wall of sound referencing the outposts of the hardcore continuum with devastating aplomb. The track opens with a syncopated garage rhythm before dropping into a bass line that would not have sounded at all out of place on True Playaz circa 1996. Midway through, dancehall vocals are cleverly spliced into one of Pangaea’s trademark synth drones, taking the action down a notch and adding a moodier dimension into what is a relatively playful piece of music.

“Fatalist” takes the energy of “Hex” (the rhythm track is strikingly similar) but where the A-side hinted, this simply drips old school menace — a stifled roar of a tune. Rolling tribal percussion gives way to the unmistakable (to listeners of a certain age, at least) sound of MC GQ intoning you to “listen, listen, LISTEN!” while a tightly wound groove unfurls at 140 bpm. Signposts of jungle and vintage DMZ emerge to form a wildly compelling document of bass memories past. Perhaps what is most sticking about this release is that, although experimental, Panagaea is still working within tightly controlled boundaries. These tracks reference a breadth of influence, but this is still very much dubstep. While an ever growing number of his contempories have moved toward a more house focused aesthetic and tempo, it is exciting to hear such vital music being made within the upper echelons of the tempo range. Exhilarating, original, and simply crying out to be played peak time, this comes highly recommended.