V.I.V.E.K - Eyes Down EP

Our review
Customer reviews
Press release

5...according to our Ant on Fri 27 May, 2011.

This is the fourth outing for V.I.V.E.K on Mala's esteemed Deep Medi label. Four tunes, each on a single side of wax, beginning with 'The Big Bang' which has dialogue about the creation of the universe along with whip cracking claps and all round sinister vibe. On the surface and on first listen it would appear to be yet another generic wobbler but on second spin it's getting deeper into my head. 'Spread Love' has a sort of Balearic vibe to it, nothing massively original but a nice enough tune. Things step up a gear or two though on the second plate with 'Sirens' having sweeping siren samples, rugged bassline and slamming percussion. The real treat though is 'Eyes Down', a track I played to death on the CD that came with initial copies of the last V.I.V.E.K double pack and prayed would see the light of day on vinyl. I absolutely adore this track, it really is a spine tingler. Everything that turned me on about dubstep in the early days is present here, of course ultra wicked bassline, glass shattering percussion sounds, that infinite groove and dark yet euphoric vibe. One of my fave dubstep tunes of the last few years without a doubt. A really soulful tune at that. Full marks for this tune alone.

V.I.V.E.K’s long awaited second EP and 4th release on Mala’s DEEP MEDi imprint comes in the form of the ‘Eyes Down EP’.
Influenced by the golden years of Drum N Bass and a steady diet of dub and roots music, V.I.V.E.K has been honing his musical
construction skills since 2004. Progressing naturally from DJing to production, and originally beginning to build music around the 170
tempo, 140 bpm was the pitch that worked for V.I.V.E.K to shape his about unique subterranean groove. If 2010 was the year that
saw V.I.V.E.K laying his roots/dub foundations and cementing his name and sound on the Dubstep scene with his well received ‘Feel
It’ EP then 2011 seems like his year to shine with his much talked about appearance at the this years first DMZ (which got him signed
to booking agency ESP) and his club banger ‘Pulse’ released in March. The EP starts off where ‘Pulse’ finished with the powerful ‘Big
Bang’, another club favourite and sound system tune full of pulsating sub weight, cold snares and a uneasy sense of dread. ‘Spread
Love’ lightens the mood and sees V.I.V.E.K channel his production talents into a laid back, dreamy, engaging groove, Perfect for
summer. ‘Sirens’ swiftly moves in and heads straight for the jugular upping the tempo Steppers style! With its pulsating b-line, subtle
percussion and mesmerizing dubbed out horns, this one keeps you locked. V.I.V.E.K keeps the title track till last with the highly
magnetic and haunting ‘Eyes Down’. Eyes Down has a real cinematic feel and real tension about it that wouldn’t feel out of place in a
Hollywood blockbuster. Dark, moody, sparse and as expected serious bass weight! “People Have To Feel it”