24 year old Shoreditch, UK-based producer Roscoe Williamson has previously toured both Japan and Taiwan with his post-rock / electronica band Alpha District, but this latest solo project Arrow!!! sees Williamson’ productions far more influenced by the sorts of tech-funk breaks championed by the likes of Meat Katie and Elite Force, with an unmistakable hint of French electro sneaking its way into proceedings. This debut 12″ EP as Arrow!!! represents the first release on Williamson’ own Lobe label and collects together three new tracks alongside a reworking of the title track by Ed Banger’ Breakbot, fresh from his recent Japan-only remixes of Justice’ “Waters Of Nazareth.’
In its original mix form, “D.O.E.S.’ offers up chunky nu-skool breaks in the vein of Atomic Hooligan, with stuttering, cut-up female robo-vox skipping alongside vast overdriven sub-bass bursts and squelchy, acidic lead synths – while it doesn’ really push the increasingly exhausted breaks template in any way, it’s certainly more than capable dancefloor fodder that would sit comfortably alongside the likes of Botchit & Scarper & Rennie Pilgrem’ TCR imprint. Breakbot’s reworking smooths the chunkier breakbeat edges out and gears things far towards Herbie Hancock-tinged electro-funk, placing warm live bass grooves beneath melodic piano chords that carry just a hint of mid-period New Order, but the most interesting moments on this EP arguably arrive with the last two electro-house oriented tracks, in particular “Superfilth!!!’ voyage downwards into menacing rave destruction, scything near-EBM synth bursts colliding with panicked-sounding diva vocal stutters. While this EP doesn’ exactly show Williamson breaking any new ground amongst the well-trodden electro/breaks genre, the second half hints that we’ve only just seen him start to the rev the fearsome engine packed under Arrow!!!’ hood.
Chris Downton
