Search - Distance :: My Demons

Anothter truly superb entry into the Dubstep Genre....

fetish_2000 | U.K. | 06/15/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"DJ Distance (who ironically comes from a Metal background) is one of the latest entries into the growing list of atmospheric Dubstep producers, that mix mid-tempo, spacious, moody, detached electronica, with the bass and reverb of instrumental dub. "My Demons" offers up 12 tracks that works non-vocal, dense, industrial sounding passages, that are coldly beautiful and fractured. This shares some parallels with (for me) what is the finest example of the dubstep genres releases, the remarkable "Burial - Burial". Both share a tendency to mix heavy dark bass, with ominous sampling, and a tendency to shift awkwardly from claustrophobic paranoia, to dub-heavy rhythmic arrangements. But whereas Burial's effort leant more towards creating a chilling sensation, that tempered bleakness and racked up the sparse emotional tension. Distance's effort is a little more quicker paced, with more emphasis on variation between tracks, with a slightly quicker pace to the tracks, and although it still moves with the drawn out nocturnal mood that these excellent cinematic dubstep albums are beginning to be known for....but here, things move with the sense of fray desolation and caustic composition that make these albums so emotionally gripping, but this album isn't afraid to mix the occasional rave sounds, and reverberating bass that subtlety references old-school dance.



This is one of those albums that takes a few listens to fully appreciate, at first it might seems a little (dare I say it??) underwhelming or even a tiny bit predicable, as it's all tension with very little release, but over the course of a few more listens, it becomes clear that this is the intention of the producer, to make something familiar to possibly what has gone before, but use his productions nouns and studio trickery to make something that runs straight to near the top of the pack, and what it may lack in inventiveness is beautifully offset by the fact that its superbly devised and rather than having any particularly standout tracks, works as a condensed album release, that is capable of audibly taking you places, with a remit that is to make a detached and Eerie album, that takes inspiration from it's previous source material (Dub, Electronica, Experimental, Soundtrack, dark ambient), and makes something that although not unique, is arguably very well produced and arranged. And although this doesn't quite match the spooky ambience of `Burial's' masterpiece, its certainly one of the finest examples in the genre, and the dark limiting themes explored here, work brilliantly under the cover of late-night listening. And it's fair to say that there'll be a few more of these sorts of Dubstep albums released further down the line, and people (possibly tiring of repeatedly listening to their usual musical interests), will gradually become interested in occasionally sticking on something a little different from the norm, and immersing themselves into the grim, creepily serene arrangements, haunting, sometimes unsettling string arrangements, that with its combination of anxious imagery and sweeping, cinematic arrangements holds a common ground, more closely associated with instrumental soundtrack work. If Dubstep producers and musicians can continue to produce albums such as this, with a high quality ratio, the Dubstep genre stands (an admittedly small) chance, of moving from a very minor genre concern, into a slightly wider audience.

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