2562 – Aerial

Dubstep is making my ears prick up this year, well I guess Burial gave me a love for it with Untrue at the end of last year, but its coming on leaps and bounds recently. Dubstep is starting to encompass many styles of other genres of music, more so than ever before. This excites me, as I love to mix up the genres when I spin dance music. 2562’s Aerial is a full album of tech-house influenced dubstep with a smidgen of breakbeat in there to for good measure. I have been a long-term convert to breakbeat and tech-house as its what I learnt to DJ with. So hearing this style having a legacy in the dubstep arena makes me smile. I can hear echoes of Adam Freeland’s more dubby numbers here and stuff from techno label Basic Channel too. Some people might not even say its dubstep, but I like that, music that jumps genres and does it well is well worth a listen.

Aerial is superb the bass is so big it really throbs and goes through you. The beats are punchy and the dub elements come draw it all together brilliantly. This is dubstep that has come out of London and gone on holiday to main land Europe in which it gathered a wider pallet of sounds to draw from. The tunes lack a little emotion and are kind of cold but there is plenty of deep emotional stuff from the likes of Pinch and Burial out there. I mention Pinch as he stuck out 2562’s first 12” and is also releasing this album on his Tectonic label. So Aerial is ten tracks of dubstep filtered through Berlin, London, Holland, Detroit and Kingston it’s a worldwide affair this.

The stand out tunes are: well all of them really but I will just choose a few, or maybe all of them...

Redux is a swooshy dub influenced Basic Channel infused tech-step beauty. It’s a slow and brooding number and the synth parts really bring it alive, as does the massive bass. Wonderful stuff.

Morvern has some punchy drums and a faster pace, I love that 2562 brings new sounds to each track and a whole new thing can be heard in front of you. I would spin this one with some techno for sure. Its moody yet quite perky to.

Moog Dub is a beast and maybe my favourite track on here. When the synth cord progression comes in like some proto dub rave line and the bass kicks in this tune is pure magical dance floor perfection.

Channel Two is a skitting 2-step kind of effort. I think this was on one of the two highly acclaimed 12” that Pinch released. You can see why it caused a stir on the dubstep scene its phat.

Techno Dread sounds like its name the wobbly relentless bass and high tempo make it sound like Techno has something to worry about as this is on its way. Again the Basic Channel dub synth lines are here and work a treat.

Basin Dub is a mellow track after the last one. The mellow sounds are cut through with some big sounds mind with a punchy kick and bass.

Greyscale has a heartbeat style kick drum at its core The techno sounds are reinterpreted through dub ears, the 808 click echoes through you as synths sweep around.

Enforcers is a energetic little number with breakbeat drums and a throbbing bass line that is well and truly meant for a dance floor. This might be the closes tune to a breakbeat record on Aerial.

Kameleon is an irresistible 2-step breakbeat digital bongo work out. Really bright and the bongo line will really move the floor. It adds a nice slab of funk to this album. A great track, and maybe one of my favourites for sure.

The Times brings Aerial to a close with sparse drums and a mellower mood to the last track. A real dubby number with echo injected drums and deep bass. Slow dark and dirty, to draw everything to its end.

2562 doesn’t have the same heart as people like Burial and Flying Lotus who have a more organic sound but if you love techno, tech-house and dubstep this album is a real treat. Its addictive I can’t stop putting it on, each track has something to offer. He makes me want to dig out my Detroit techno, Minimal, 2-step and breakbeat records and see what storm I can stir up. 2562’s Aerial is brilliant.

P.S. Last night it hit me that this album sounds alot like Phil Kerian's Pill Hearin' mockier and specificly the track 146 Ways from 2002, which is a techno/electro crossover with some heavey dub elements. The tempo would even fit to dubsteps.