- Dutchman C.O.N.E. is part of a wave of Rotterdam artists making what he calls "brukstep," their particular brand of grime. Their sound is heavily influenced by early '00s London broken beat music, but it's slinkier, sexier and less claustrophobic. Imagine a mongrel breed of UK funky and bassline with the severity of Wiley and you're on the right track. Doppa, his first EP for the seminal broken beat label Loungin', is a remarkably assured record that feels current, even as it plays with tropes from the past.
"Doppa" is a strong opening statement. Like something you might hear on Marcus Nasty's Rinse show, the exaggerated bounce screams UK funky but the monotone bassline is confrontational like grime. Throw in its metal-on-metal chord refrain and it's somewhere between Hessle Audio envelope-pushing and Night Slugs functionalism. "Pressure" isn't doing anything to quell comparisons with the latter—bright neon synths are laid over beats that feel as if they're trying to knock the wind out of you with an elaborate series of punches.
The EP's other side reveals the softer side of brukstep. "Reach" has a more leisurely swing to it, and its lukewarm liquid chords lend it a friendlier feel than its counterparts. "Ravi" is even more intriguing: appropriating the slippery flow of dub techno, the broken beat structure gains a grandiosity that the form rarely reaches.
Tracklist A1 Doppa
A2 Pressure
B1 Reach feat Tink
B2 Ravi