Truth - Dreams / Last Time (12" vinyl)

* Dreams' and 'Last Time' might mark Truth's debut release on Tempa, but the duo have been carving out their own cavernous spaces for quite some time. With previous releases through dubstep hubs like Mala's Deep Medi label, Skream's Disfigured Dubz, among others, they have honed a distinctive take on the genre: Truth tracks have a cinematic twist, all open spaces and soft-focus melody where many of their contemporaries trade in dissonance and claustrophobia.

* Perhaps that's down to the geographical separation: Truth - Andre Fernandez and Tristan Roake - hail from Christchurch, New Zealand. Quite some distance from the genre's roots in London and most of their labelmates, admittedly. But that hasn't stopped their music from lighting up DJ sets by genre figureheads across the globe, from Youngsta, Hatcha and Digital Mystikz to Dub War's Joe Nice. So their signing to Tempa is a perfect fit.

* 'Dreams' and 'Last Time' slot beautifully alongside the ocean-deep halfstep of Tempa labelmates like J:Kenzo, Proxima and SP:MC. But they're smoother and smokier still, destined to switch dancers up into slow, hypnotised modes of movement. 'Dreams' hinges around drawn out female vocals and molten sub-bass that flows like a river. On the flip, 'Last Time's' rhythms are harder and more direct, making for a rave-driven stepper punctuated by pauses and sudden explosions of energy.

 *Dubstep's evolution has fragmented at such a high pace that it's often been easy to ignore those honing the core elements of the genre into ever-more impressive shapes. Truth's sound starts with the bassbin-shaking minimalism of early Loefah and DMZ, but that's only the beginning: using that framework to earth their tracks, they push them outwards into altogether more expansive spaces.

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