Zed Bias feat. Jay Electronica & Ghost1 - The Cauldron

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  • Zed Bias, along with Steve Gurley and El-B, is one of the many unsung pioneers of UK garage, and another of the many producers without whom dubstep would barely register on the Richter scale. His best known tracks—unlikely chart hit "Neighbourhood," and his remixes of DJ Zinc's "138 Trek" and The Streets—have relied more on freaky juxtapositions than the silken productions skills of the likes of Gurley and El-B, and so it is with "The Cauldron," a new track which follows on from fresh material released on Sick Trumpet last year. Beginning with twisted dialogue samples from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory—it's not just Aphex Twin who finds uncanny resonances in the acid humour of Mel Stuart's film—"The Cauldron" launches into stuttering, almost broken beat-style percussion and staggered melodic hits. The rhythm moves like cinematic jump-cuts, as if dead space has been removed and the track shuffled over. The sub-bass, meanwhile, oozes through the tiny gaps like chocolate spread out of a sandwich. The rap vocals are typical of those from the classic late '90s 2-step garage era—fast, blank, but sometimes deliciously flashy—and a few couplets have to be crowbarred in to fit the quick-fire rhythm. But it's the instrumental which is crucial here—fitting in with the resurgence of 2-step style garage skip from dubstep producers such as Martyn and Appleblim, "The Cauldron" is so quick, jagged, and sharp the effect is almost psychedelic.
  • Tracklist
      A The Cauldron B The Cauldron (Instrumental)
RA