- True to its name, there's a modern aesthetic to Modern Underground Music Vol. 1, none more so than Monty Luke's track "Through the Galaxy." (He is the label boss after all.) Low scattered synth notes, darting tones and paranoid, ticking hi-hats sketch out the form while weird and heavily filtered vocals set a deep space but dystopian air for five unsettled and unpredictable minutes. "Chasing Rainbows" is a short but stark injection of downbeat and disintegrated dub before "Impressed to Dress" wholly switches the vibe once more. Artie Strongman's contribution sounds like Magnetic Man after a whole summer's day on the bong before the more standard sounding tech rolls of "Ritual Business" act like a simple palette cleanser before the EP's final and finest hurrah leaves the strongest taste.
"Draconian Hybrids" is an insular thing that punches and pounds along on a number of drum and bass lines, each of which seems to eat itself up in the hungry stomp from start to finish. The expansive background synths somehow act to make you feel safe and warm, despite the air of impending doom.
Tracklist A1 Monty Luke - Through The Galaxies
A2 Fhloston Paradigm - Chasing Rainbows
A3 Artie Strongman - Impressed To Dress
B1 Carter Bros - Ritual Business
B2 Kuru - The Draconian Hybrids