I would imagine I would not find myself alone if, when faced with the tags “drum & bass / jungle / reggae / Estonia”, I ran a mile in the opposite direction without even the slightest inclination of beginning to look for a play button. But this time, like a lucid dream taken a decisively sinister turn I indeed did press play and something very odd happened.
While indeed there were hallmarks of drum & bass emanating from my speakers: the cones wobbling in a way only the bass contained within those particular sub-categories of dance music can achieve; skittering rhythmic figures dominating the landscape – the overall picture was far darker and greyer than I could have ever anticipated. Before me was a thick, bleak, industrial tapestry – nothing like my normal ‘bag’, but somehow already ingrained deep upon the psyche. No ambient comedown or slides of psychedelia, instead confronted by a grainy monochrome beast constructed of concrete, dystopian paranoia and foreboding weather patterns. A wonderful gift from Estonia’s second city, Tartu. By a guy who prefers to be known only as “Thing”.
http://www.facebook.com/ThingMusic
http://soundcloud.com/thing_estonia
Mike Phillips