- Rather like Photek and Source Direct did in the late '90s with drum & bass, Dark Sky are winning fans by daring to be experimental, diverse and multi-textured but also noisily and thrillingly addictive. In Dark Sky's case, however, they're doing it within that heavily-populated Venn diagram where bass, UK funky, dubstep, techno and 2-step meet. After a series of riotously-received EPs for the likes of 50 Weapons and Pictures Music and big league remixes for The xx and Kelis, the London threesome return to their alma mater, Black Acre, for this diverse but precisely focused four-tracker.
"F-Technology" begins with tightly-stretched tom-toms, scratchy ambient fills and cascading percussion before a blanket of swelling synths, EQed for maximum emotional impact, turns it on its head. "Tremor" is a hi-stepping march of pitch-shifted tablas and a pinging bassline with a hint of footwork thrown in. Dark Sky indulge in a spot of cinematic, future 2-step on "Zoom," leading into the soaring, twinkling breakbeat of "Totem." It all begs the question, where do Dark Sky go from here? If it continues to be upwards, we're in for a treat.
Tracklist A1 F-Technology
A2 Tremor
B1 Zoom
B2 Totem