- The new London label Lampuka kicks off with dubby analog vibes galore, courtesy of co-founders Raimo and Tomas Rubeck. Raimo's "Chi 2 NY" clearly has its mind on the kind of swirly, stepping house that Smallville does so well, with a stealthy, two-note bassline underpinning wispy synthesizer and churning, almost subliminal chants. It ripples like a mirage on the receding horizon. Fudge Fingas' dub of the same adds heaving organs and a healthy dose of 909s; it's sensitive and forceful all at once, and much more immediate than his recent Purple Maze EP.
On the B-side, Tomas Rubeck's "Mono Conspiracy" is textbook dub techno, appropriately enveloping and appealingly silty. Raimo's "Re-Dub" is actually less dubby; anchoring its clang with a tough techno groove, it brings to mind Levon Vincent's fog-wreathed concrete and rebar. Rubeck's "Silent Feel," a digital bonus, is a shimmering exercise in beatless chords and hissing filters, part Pop Ambient and part Vainqueur. It's not startlingly new or original, but as a DJ tool or mixtape segue, it does the trick just fine.
Tracklist01. Raimo - Chi 2 NY
02. Raimo - Chi 2 NY (Fudge Fingas Livin Dub)
03. Tomas Rubeck - Mono Conspiracy
04. Tomas Rubeck - Mono Conspiracy (Raimo Re-Dub)
05. Tomas Rubeck - Silent Feel