Soundmurderer - Toned Down EP mp3 flac

There's been a lot of hype about this record since it was announced and I have to say, it lives up to every bit of it and then some. I've always been a big fan of the Rewind Records material and I'd heard some of Soundmurderer's ghettotech and electro tracks done under various pseudonym's and liked them. But until I got this record, I really had no idea of the true scope of Todd Osborn's production mastery. Here's a guy who can produce just about any style he wants to and hang with the very best in whatever genre it might be. I have nothing but massive respect for him as a producer. So, what do we have here? Dubplate Murderer starts off the record and it is a ragga jungle smasher that is like something straight out of the early Rewind catalogue. As you would expect, the drum edits are complex and impeccably done and the vocal samples he uses are fresh. Vibewise, it's a perfect mix between bouncy and chaotic. Up next is Logical Volume Identifier. Not even sure what you'd call this, so I'm not even going to bother. It's a very happy track with drums that walk that line between hip hop and jump up, but they're really only there as a guide, not the main attraction. What will grab you here is the intricate and finely crafted interplay of melodies. Genius lives here, so just sit back, close your eyes, relax and take it in. You'll find something new every time you hear it. Onto the flipside, you've got 8th Stage which uses a similar set of sounds but with a more subdued melody. After a long and winding intro, the drums step up to a more prominent role than the previous track in a masterful display of tension and release. And, finally, you have Awamori which takes the "Toned Down EP" to its logical conclusion. I hesitate to call this ambient because there is a significant drum presence but, somehow, the tag seems to fit. Warm, melodic, beautiful. It looks like I've put a lot of words down here when it would be much simpler to just say "Buy it and listen to it repeatedly." This record will obviously appeal to the ragga jungle heads out there but there is so much more here. I wouldn't hesitate to say that the rest of this EP is on par with the Analord series. Yes, I just said that.