[Prime Numbers]

In his recent podcast for Resident Advisor, Trus’me surprises the listener by finishing an hour of house with a clunky dubstep number. The track is dark, heavy, and rough around the edges, but somehow compliments Trus’me’s earthy sound quite well. It’s called “Axiom,” and it’s one of the first ever tracks by Wireman, a new Glaswegian producer who seems to specialize in clever discord. On “Armour EP” (his debut, released on Prime Numbers), Wireman entertains four distinctly different sub-genres of electronic music, teasing something new out of each one as he goes.

“Armour EP” is as diverse as it is coherent: while each song is isolated in style, all four share a raw, metallic clang. The title track sends a sluggish techno beat through a rusty industrial atmosphere, flanked by increasingly louder chords and delayed half-melodies. The breakdown ushers in a more aggressive vibe, with corroded drum pads joining the mix once the beat drops. Next, “Forge” evokes a somber, tawny glow, and leaves it at that — the track is brief and completely ambient, but no less engaging than the others. Though “Armour” is my personal favorite, “Axiom” somehow feels like the star of the EP. It’s a beautifully heavy dubstep track that sounds perfectly fresh despite its use of common dubstep tropes — a lurching rhythm, warbling chords, a sinister mood, etc. “Perspex” is probably the biggest curveball of all four; with its acid driven melody and peppy tempo (136bpm), it almost sounds like something off of AFX’s “Analord” series. Such a varied group of tracks makes it hard to predict where Wireman will go from here: Will he eventually settle on one of these styles or remain an electronic renaissance man? Either way, I don’t think I’ll be alone in eagerly awaiting his next release.