When a label takes this amount of time to do a write up...who am I to try and out perform them?
Co-founder of the Erratica Music alongside Tom Releen, they ran several quality label-based parties during 2003 - 2005 which brought together various strands of good electronic music under one roof, including L'usine, Subjex, Cursor Miner, Pole, ScanOne, ADJ, Bitstream, Kelpe, Andrea Parker, Abstrakt Knights, Con Brio, Stormfield, Delta 9 and many others.
From his first appearance on the well-received chunky electro "KnowOne EP", to electro excursions on Orson Records, right through to the fragile, introspective electronica of his album on the excellent ScSi Av – Point B’s productions have always been noted for their warmth, funk, nimble, intricately programmed rhythms and intuitive, understated melodies that have drawn comparisons to the productions of Plaid (Warp), L’usine (Ghostly International) and colleague Kelpe (DC Recordings).
Since 2006 Point B’s returned his focus to the more groove-driven side of music, taking influences from his native Brixton: deep, addictive 2 step rhythms and dub dynamics from pirate radio, back street clubs and parties. Keeping his head down, he’s churned out a load of new tracks, some of which are surfacing on this release.
A1 >> Gymede
When we first heard B drop this at a gig, the first reaction was “what the fuck is this?!”. This was follwed shortly after by “why isn’t there more of this stuff around?”
Gymede is a very, very sleek electro 2-step track that’s loaded with so much swing, it should come with a government health warning, as witnesses at parties like Grunk, Bloc Weekend, Subculture and Plex.
Android-esque, Claro-intellecto style pads ride atop sleek electro beats arranged in an insanely catchy garage rhythm. Cheeky voice cut-ups and incidental glitches are sprinkled sparingly over the construction, leading to the grinding, halfstep rhythm switchover at the end of the track.
A few years in the making, it was first aired at the pre-Sonar party at the Apollo on la Rambla in Barcelona 2003; the tune went down well with the dancefloor “but just seemed too messy” in B’s own words. What followed were bouts of construction, deconstruction, and repeated modification; the track was almost binned at the height of frustration, but fortunately he decided otherwise – and here’s the result. Futuristic electro-garage that’s guaranteed to flex your spine, sidewinder style.
A2 >> Embrionic
Perhaps the result of standing in a certain well-known dubstep basement in his native Brixton, Embrionic aptly describes the feeling of being suspended in warm, dark womb of gelatinous bass frequencies.
It’s minimal halfstep syncopated drums and growling subs are fleshed out melodically with an insistent thumb-piano line, to evoke the chugging psychedelic vibe of mbira based African music.
B1 >> Insider (Blackmass Plastics remix)
The original Insider was a tense, paranoid electronica track released on the “Rain Chemistry EP ” in 2006. Dirty Needles and Thorn Industries boss Blackmass Plastics offered to remix the track, and promptly dragged it into his South London lair, emerging 2 weeks later with this beast of a track.
Managing to uniquely fuse the qualities of the original version with his gritty warehouse rhythms, the result is a prowling, snarling halfstep track with the refined melodicism rarely found in this genre.
Insider VIP has been rinsed extensively on Combat radio slots and raised a few eyebrows when it was first dropped in a DJ set at the Combat vs. Grunk party alongside Cursor Miner, Virus Syndicate, ScanOne and Freq Nasty(!).
B2 >> E Blade
First heard on Sub FM via the Boomnoise & Pokes Show, E Blade started life from a bass noise, tweaked and played for hours. The riff was grafted onto a 2-step rhythm; layers were added, including vocal snippets from Mrs. B, to give a quirky garage mutant that skips along, building into a surprisingly dubstep-like outro where every element settles together into the track’s peak.
Like the other tracks on this EP, E Blade is a snapshot in the constantly evolving sound of Point B, taking on (in this case) rhythmic influences of his native South London. But like his previous electro/electronica releases, each track is infused with a confident and understated melodicism, arising not just from pads and strings, but also exuding subtly from the intricate rhythmic elements to form an organic, breathing work that’s uniquely his own sound.
