Rain Dog – See Hear EP [CUT006]
Audio, Downbeat & Downtempo, Dub, Dubstep & Garage, Review by Genre // By: SimonVB // 15/11/2011 // 1 Comment
Only halfway through the first song of ‘See Hear EP’, I knew I wanted to hear more from both this artist and the netlabel that released his music. According to his soundcloud page, Rain Dog is a Newcastle-based dubstep producer and DJ. On September 12th, 2011, he released ‘See Hear EP’ on, enter drumroll, Cut Records. Seriously, Cut? Again? I decided to seek some answers to the seemingly magic way this label always seems to pick up the best releases out there, and found one on the label’s website:
“Most netlabels have a stigma attached to them leading people to assume that because the music is free, it’s low quality. Cut has set out to debunk that myth.”
Had this come from any other mouth, I might have had some reservations. But if there’s anyone out there that can achieve this goal, it has to be them. Anything touched by Cut Records seems to turn to gold. That is definitely true for this sixth release.
‘See Hear EP’ has very little to do with dubstep at first glance. It’s a great downtempo release, where the artist has painstakingly brought back the arrangements to the essential core. Seldom have I heard that much emotion in a piece with so little instruments. The great use of silence is in no small part responsible for this.
The dubstep influence is mainly audible in what dubstep does best: the rhythm section. The overarching tempo for most of the tracks on ‘See Hear EP’ is pretty slow, and keeping track of it has to be done on the snare drum. Within those slow measures, however, there’s tremendous variation and eye for detail in the drum programming. Combined with the previously mentioned top-notch melodic parts, this is the listening experience I never knew I’ve always wanted.
The first three tracks are all excellent variations on the theme described above, and though it’s hard to pick a favourite, I’d have to go with the obvious single, ‘Beyond their years’. Both ‘One to Love’ and ‘Dry’ are veritable gems as well, though.
The title track ‘See Hear’, also the last track of the EP, is the odd track out of the four. The rhythm is slightly more uptempo, and while it’s still a decent song, it does pale in comparison to the three tracks that came before it.
All in all, this release is a premium blend of downtempo cum dubstep injection, and very hard not to fall in love with. Rain Dog, if you’re reading this, we want more. A lot more. [SVB]
Rain Dog – Beyond Their Years
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Deep Link to the Release Page
Couldn’t agree more with this review! Especially the last two sentences!