Bass-focused electronic music in the Western hemisphere has always taken cues from sonic developments in the United Kingdom. The career of Skope, one of England’s finest producers and engineers, is a great example. The tenured heavyweight in the underground music scene was part of a small wave of producers who envisioned modern neuro textures over the first few years of the 2010s.  After three relatively quiet years, the neuro progenitor has teamed up with Slug Wife to push out the Beneath EP, an emulsified lesson in audio brutalism.

Skope’s style during his first few years in the public realm was self-styled as neuro-hop, playing off of hip-hop rhythmic motifs and saturated sound design. Much like Koan Sound or Opiuo, his Razorbeam EP and Rollerskates & Hoverboards EP combined a dancefloor-friendly approach with technical precision, utilizing wide stereo imaging and consistent percussive grooves. On the Strange Science EP, Skope redefined his output around the proliferation of the half-time interpretation of drum and bass. Since that release, his production and arrangement philosophy have evolved dramatically, resulting in new, monstrous sound design and composition on the Beneath EP. From the synthesis to the percussion processing to the double-faced audio glitches, this release is another accolade atop Skope’s legacy. Every track slings mean-mugged bass lines that do exactly what he is so known for; absolutely shredding speaker cones.

It seems like Slug Wife is on everyone’s tongue at all times, and their discerning followers won’t be disappointed once the Beneath EP makes its rounds. Given the length of time since Skope’s last release, this meeting of the minds could slingshot his catalog back into the forefront for old fans and new. Considering the bone-crushing size of these tunes, our fingers are definitely crossed for some live and direct action with the man himself. In the meantime, we’ll have the Beneath EP on gratuitous repeat.

FOLLOW Skope Beatport / Soundcloud / Facebook

FOLLOW Slug Wife: Bandcamp / Soundcloud / Facebook