Crucial Recordings proudly presents the third release on the label – one whose stock is growing and growing. The 7.5 EP comes courtesy of Brighton-based producer Foamplate who has already earned the support of big names like Distance, Mala, J:Kenzo and N Type.
This three-tracker from Foamplate, who crafts his cuts in his studio by the sea, represents a fresh wave of offerings from the artist.He is bonafide vinyl head, he still cuts dubplates and this one right here is his first solo 12” release.
Kicking off the EP is the title track. A nod to the earlier days of dubstep, '7.5' is a dubby, roomy roller. The playful pipes give a festive feel, but we’re not talking about Christmas here. We’re talking rounded, caressing bass notes coupled with murmurs lurking in the sub-region, beneath a stripped-back drum track. Part jungle, part Jungle Book, 7.5 unfurls into a more eerie, sub-canopy echo chamber, scattered with menacing FX.
A clear cousin of 7.5, Cargo is first up on the flip. More of that round, sporadic bass play highlights an artist with a clear vision but the swinging percussion and hi hats of Cargo give the track its own discernible qualities – the track is both cerebral and ethereal. The short, jagged snare cuts through the foggy, flabbier bass notes like a rusty knife through a speaker cone.
Like the top track, teasing pipes flirt with hypnotic rhythm before transforming into more mischievous yet enticing, percussive melodies. Oculus Rift has the feel of an unplaceable exotique, drawing and conjuring from several of the darkest corners of the subconscious and delivering a world for the conscious to get lost in.
