Pete Satürn hails from somewhere between Rhea and Hyperion. Floating among these mighty moons of the mystic planet Saturn, the artist must have absorbed and reflected upon the elemental admixture of solar sound known as the “music of the spheres.” He’s channeled this into his two-track Ritual Grass EP and his INSTiFREE010 track "Parallel Vision," coming courtesy of Instigate Recordings out of Bristol in the United Kingdom.

Instigate Recordings focuses on heavy basslines and hard-hitting beats while maintaining mood and texture. That sweet spot’s not easy to locate, and we commend any collective that tries to do so in earnest. Ritual Grass plies depth and atmosphere primarily, but not at the expense of a good vibratory rhythm. Mr. Saturn uses resonance and reverberation to establish an ambience across all three cuts that is nothing if not interplanetary, starting with the whispering solar wind on “Parallel Vision." 

Pete’s percussion is steady, strong, and helps to stabilize songs that are difficult to pin down in the absence of any big time bass or synthesizers. Each track, particularly “Ritual Grass", floats back and forth through space tethered to the Earth by a thin but sturdy rope of kicks, a smattering of hand drums, and a consistent hi-hat and ride cymbal. Common hallmarks of dubstep do appear on the EP, like the Rastaman horn samples and chopped beat on “Dawnlight Riddim", but they’re not overindulged or used to excess. It’s an engaging dubstep journey but not a wild one, meditative but not dark, and unique in its power to ebb and calm the passions of the listener instead of riling them up. 

On the heels of the atmospheric Ritual Grass EP and it's companion freebie, perhaps Instigate Recordings is gearing up to nudge the needle back in the direction of heavy beats and big basslines. You’ll have to stay chooned to find out. 

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