Description
Channelling decades of studio immersion into strikingly modern, reduced spins on D&B, Decoder lands on Samurai Music with the Elser EP. Decoder is the primary outlet for Darren Beale, the Bristol-based producer with roots reaching back to the breakthrough years of hardcore and jungle. As one half of Orca he was already releasing rave-baiting anthems as early as 1992, while he touched the top of the charts with crossover success story Kosheen. Throughout this time, Beale has remained focused on the science of sound, and his latest release demonstrates a keen grasp of the sparse, angular territory Samurai has been exploring in earnest in recent years. Pivoting around minimalist drum machine frameworks and dropping expertly shaped synth tones into purposefully empty space, Beale's restraint speaks to his maturity and experience. Hypnotic sequences and dubbed out FX fold themselves into the patient step of 'Input9', while the ebb and flow of purring techno chords wash in and out of 'Bunk' and 'Rhiw'. Even when he spices up the drum programming to conjure the drum & bass history bedded into the Decoder sound-as on the angular 'Suspect12' and the deep-diving title track-Beale never loosens his grip. The edgy streak inherent in his work with labels like Tech Itch sets the mood for Elser, making this strident steer into shadowy hinterlands a natural continuation for a producer who never stopped testing new possibilities within breakbeat culture.