2562 - Unbalance

2562 follows up his groundbreaking debut album 'Aerial', and pushes
both his creative talents, and the boundaries of dubstep, to another level
entirely. 'Unbalance' is an exceptional body of electronic music, and fully
demonstrates 2562's adept ability to move through engaging soundscapes with
both pin-point precision drum programming and innovative sample
regeneration. 2562, real name Dave Huismans, is named after the postcode in
The Hague, Netherlands where he lives, a city detached from the main
epicentres of dubstep, and thus brings both cultural distance and a uniquely
diverse sound to the project. During the course of a brief but faultless
discography, he's dropped four killer twelve inches for Tectonic, as well as
'Aerial' - one of the defining albums of 2008 - not to mention a similar
number of singles under his A Made Up Sound guise, and, in the process, has
blown wide open a number of scenes, allowing a welcome and long overdue
cross pollination within DJ set lists.

'Unbalance' sees 2562's vision of dubstep moving forward into previously
unexplored areas. Warmer than its predecessor, innovation and
experimentation is still as evident as ever, as the influence of Theo
Parrish and Flying Lotus meet with the deep end of Bristol bass music. With
productions drawing inspiration from garage, dubstep, house, techno and
broken beats - affiliations and collaborations have proliferated - killer
remixes and one-offs have cemented the Dutchman firmly in the 'A' list of
contemporary production talent. 'Unbalance' is impeccably built, and
accessibly disposed: sheer dancefloor carnage is guaranteed. Tectonic label
boss Pinch says: "I've worked closely with 2562 over the last few years and
I can honestly say that 'Unbalance' is an incredible album - it's one of the
most exciting releases that Tectonic has seen to date - it vastly exceeds
the already high standard he set himself with 'Aerial'." With this new LP
for Tectonic, 2562 breaks new ground - in moving away from the dub-techno
associations of his earlier works, he creates a whole new world.

It's with some major excitement then that we present his second full length
album: 'Unbalance' on Tectonic - right on time for an end of year carve up.
Where 2009 was ushered in by fellow lowland compatriot and close friend
Martyn smashing it with 'Great Lengths' Huismans, in true competitive
spirit, delivers a dancehall crasher of an album, to round out a year of
even more pronounced genre exchanges and hybrid sounds. From the outset,
'Intro' and 'Flashback' let fly some of the face cards in Huismans' deck -
the ample swell of swung garage informed by a new school sensibility, all
grounded by that trademark giant bass presence. 'Lost' reprises a familiar
broken refrain in refixed mode, landing with a delightful low-end almost
junglist descent and a huge mid range melodic sustain, absolutely killer
stuff. With 'Like A Dream' the album is really motoring by now - squashed Mr
Fingers style acid machinations inside a wildout bass and drums swing, if
anything typifying the sheer sense of progression and development this music
brings with it. In many ways this is an album for playing out, but also
about playing out - each tune seeming to recombine on second and third
listens, just as the DJ's selection is never the same twice, even when
playing the same records. Tear up the form book - the diversity and
breathtaking momentum of this fine album moves fleet of foot - like Usain
Bolt over Berlin - inspirational.

Be the first to review this record. Best reviewer each month gets £10 off their next order!