- Intricate techno and drum & bass on an exciting new label.
- Leif, Livity Sound, Jan Jelinek, Workshop, Basic Channel, Jichael Mackson, Actress, early Modern Love, Deepchord, Ricardo Villalobos, Acido, Sued—if the sight of any of these names gave you a buzz then you should be closely following Well Street Records. The label, which takes its name from a street in Hackney, East London, has been about as successful in carving out a sound for itself as a new imprint could hope for. As is probably clear from the list of labels and artists above, Well Street, which has now released five records, enjoys dubby, hazy, intricate moods with broken takes on techno at its centre. It'd be a stretch to call its music groundbreaking, but the synthesis of its producers' influences has created something with a defined, distinctive aesthetic it can call its own.
There's also a little UK rudeness in its blood. The label hasn't been particularly forthcoming with biographical details about the artists involved, but it's clear that Fold, one of its founders, is a long-time garage and jungle fan; the influence of those styles can be found in trace amounts in the Well Street catalogue, including on this excellent second record from Loop LF.
This link to the hardcore continuum is made explicit by Martsman's drum & bass remix of "Always NV." In fact, it's as much IDM as drum & bass: this is a highly technical yet highly propulsive workout that presses the tension of the original onto a thrilling rhythmic framework. Crisp snares and kicks and tasteful white noise percussion are the engine of Loop LF's original version. Like so much of what Well Street has done so far, it cunningly complicates its beat without losing its dance floor potentiality. Save the extremely lovely "Natural XT" for the most tender moment of an afterparty, and "Terra," with its radiant melody and deep bass, is the pick for increasing the pressure of a warmup set. Well Street is running a low-key operation, both in its messaging and its music, but Natural XT shows it's become a label to shout loudly about.
TracklistA1 Terra
A2 Always NV
B1 Natural XT
B2 Always NV (Martsman Remix)