It’s been four years since the release of Acid Scratch, K.L.O’s debut warchest of devious tracks. In the time since then, Kursa, Lone Drum, and Osmetic have all furthered their individual projects, and that legwork is the backbone of this deadly triumvirate. Rounding back together to unleash their sophomore album, K.L.O’s ‘Bout Time is a brutal lesson in hammerhead ferocity, and takes their catalog in it’s darkest direction yet.

Acid Scratch is an album marked primarily by it’s finesse; the intensity of the album is a direct product of each track’s intricate, exponential layering, as opposed to just sheer decibels. ‘Bout Time showcases a poignant evolution of those musical relationships, interloping dexterity and break-neck inertia throughout each of the album’s ten songs. The peaks and valleys of intensity manifest in a blend of pinpoint textures and meaty mudpies of synthesis, with interlocking vinyl cuts slicing through each arrangement like a surgical lancet. 

On the heavier end of the album’s spectrum, tracks like “Montana Dream Cake” and “Avante Parred” put sub frequencies and grating textures at the forefront, primed to lay waste to unsuspecting speaker cones. Bouncing bass weight off of downbeats and twisted breaks, these songs pay homage to the cutting-edge sound design that has helped push K.L.O to the front of the pack. On the opposing end of the album’s dynamic song choice, “Lamp Sandwich” and “‘Bout Time” take hip-hop into strange and deranged territories, balancing choice scratching and brickwalled, broken rhythms. There’s a groove and an attitude to these tunes that sets them apart from the rest, mutating hip-hop’s golden-era veneer into a fusion of liquid tones and virile swagger.

In an age where the idea of collaboration is steadily edging out the idea of competition in the realm of electronic music, there’s no shortage of combination acts and producer collectives. For the vast majority of them, K.L.O is an undeniable benchmark for impact, intensity, and pure style. Four years on, and they’re releases have become steadfast staples of bass music selectors across the circuit, placing K.L.O’s material and influence at the heart and center of like minded musicians and producers. With nowhere to climb but upward, they’ve added yet another rung to the ladder with the release of ‘Bout Time.

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