Porter Brook GROUNDWORK 01
Groundwork's first outing as a record label is an intelligent, edgy and eclectic affair courtesy of yet another emerging homegrown talent.
Produced by 19-year-old Porter Brook, who was snapped up by the local events collective after they heard his music at one of their regular nights at The Shakespeare, GROUNDWORK01 goes beyond his years with a mature and well-produced trio of tracks.
The EP manages to scoop up a punchy pick-and-mix of influences and styles that kicks off with the infectious 'Exit 14th Street'. Combining the best elements of rave, jungle, two-step and techno, it's a sparse tune that shows what you can do when you don't over-egg the studio pudding. With distant vocals seeping in and out, the track breaks down, leaving ghostly, industrial echoes, before the beat returns once again to shake the dancefloor.
a mature and well-produced trio of tracks
The driving, four-to-the-floor introduction of 'Dipole' is only temporary, making way for the junglist massive. It's a style that harks back almost 30 years, when we first witnessed repetitive beats side-by-side with fresh breakbeats. The only disappointment is that the track isn't bookended with its opening techno element.
The final piece of the triangle is the mysteriously-titled 'K41 018 BXH9', a sparse and ominous broken beat appearing alongside dubstep overtones. It's the most experimental of the three tracks and highlights Porter Brook's range of influences, all of which have something very Steel City about them.
Andy Tattersall
