Bristol-based DJ / producer Pinch (real name Robert Ellis) has grown to become of one of the dubstep genre’s most influential figures over the past few years, releasing a prolific stream of vinyl on his Tectonic label, as well as his own acclaimed 2007 debut artist album ‘Underwater Dancehall.’ In the wake of his preceding ‘Midnight Oil / Joyride’ release on Tectonic, this latest creepily-titled 12″ on Planet Mu sees Ellis offering up two tracks that showcase markedly different sides to his personality. On the A-side, ‘Attack Of The Giant Killer Robot Spiders’ certainly manages to live up to the promise of its title, the skittering broken rhythms calling to mind the relentless creep of tiny metallic spiders as it stutters and tics its way through an eerie, wafting backdrop of near-ambient Middle Eastern tinged synths and ominous rumbling sub-bass presence. On the flip, ‘Teleportation’ aims proceedings distinctly more towards the dancefloor, fusing a female sci-fi sample intoning the title phrase with the sort of dramatic sweeping crash you might expect on a horror movie score, shortly before things lock straight down into tight, rippling electro synth flourishes and a rhythmic backbone constructed around tree trunk thick Amen breaks. Once again, Pinch manages to show why he’s one of the dubstep genre’s most touted names, with two divergent moments aimed towards the headphones and body respectively.
Chris Downton
