This third and final chapter in Spectraliquid’s ‘Mutant Dubstep’ EP series also represents the debut release from Athens-based breakstep / hardcore producer Mobthrow and offers up an extremely impressive introduction, collecting together three original tracks alongside a couple of remixes. As with the two preceding volumes in the series from Ebola and Cardopusher, the term ‘dubstep’ is used loosely here – while opening track here ‘Jazz Monsta’ opens with the sizzling sound of distorted electronics and detuned double-bass runs, the resultant storm that follows leans considerably more towards industrial-edged hiphop in the vein of Techno Animal, though there’s certainly an acceleration into skittering, jazz-informed snares towards the midway point, which sees some of Mobthrow’s more breakcore-centric leanings coming to the surface. ‘Breakstar’ meanwhile sees some of dubstep’s more familiar signature elements locking into place as digitally contorted vocal samples and shuffling, off-beat rhythms traverse a toxic backdrop of evil, distorted synth squiggles and vast sub-bass drops – a moment that’s likely to prove the most palatable to Hyperdub-oriented listeners here, before ‘Deathstep’ tightens the massive steel-plate rhythms up even further, unleashing a menacing wander through dark ambience and juddering Bug-esque industrial-hiphop beats that comes on like the soundtrack to apocalypse, doomy orchestral bass synth arrangements and all. In addition to the three original tracks here, there’s also a reworking of Future Sound Of London’s pre-millennium tension-centric ‘My Kingdom’ which sees Mobthrow playing it comparatively straight, layering a satisfying dark electro snap beneath the original version’s heavily phased vocal and percussion elements, before Ad Noiseam’s Mad EP closes things off with a remix of ‘Jazz Monsta’ that leans towards Amon Tobin-esque dark cinematics, trailing eerie, Balkan-sounding violins through a treacherous background of crunching, chaotic breakbeats and clattering jazz snares. All in all, an extremely impressive debut offering from Mobthrow that marks him out as a producer to keep an eye on – whilst also closing off Spectraliquid’s ‘Mutant Dubstep’ series off in style.
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