DjRUM

DjRUM (2nd Drop Records)

Felix Manuel informs me that his alias is pronounced ‘Drum’ - the ‘j’ is silent. It used to be ‘Deejay Rum’, but he decided he didn’t like it. Either way, it’s a name that has increasingly registered on people’s radars since Manuel’s 2010 debut, the gorgeous, so-relaxed-it’s-horizontal ‘Plead With Me’ b/w ‘Emerald (The Antidote)’ on Smokin' Sessions. Since then, his take on the deep sea hybrid of dubstep and techno - perhaps inspired by the rash of innovation coming out of Bristol circa 2008 (see Appleblim’s Dubstep Allstars mix) - has become increasingly finessed and distinctive.

Last year’s ‘Mountains’ EP for 2nd Drop blows most producers working in the ‘chilled’ dubstep milieu clean out of the water. It coolly walks a tightrope between sampleadelic diversity and luxuriant uniformity, all rich, muted blues, greys and greens. Most strikingly, Manuel isn’t afraid of navigating through a range of tempos and soundworlds, refracting each in turn through his distinctive lens. There’s hip-hop (the opening of ‘Undercoat’), techno - generally of the dub-drenched variety (‘Mountains Part 1’) - and flirtations with two-step garage (‘Turiya’). Disparate sections are dovetailed together expertly. It’s a record perfectly suited to the home-headphones ritual, where listening becomes a captivating wander through landscapes suffused with reverb, populated by half-heard monologues and verdant oases of jazz miscellany. It’s a connoisseur’s dreamboat, as highlighted by T++ naming the EP his favourite of 2011.

Manuel’s easy eclecticism probably stems from his DJing. He was a DJ long before he made a name as a producer, and as part of the Yardcore crew he holds down a regular show on Sub.fm, where his sets can encompass anything from the deepest of dub techno to the giddy rush of ghettotech and breakcore. In fact, the near-subterranean tone of his productions is a pleasantly surprising contrast to the high-energy approach he often takes when DJing. A series of Yardcore-promoted nights a few years back tended to focus on the more high-octane side of things, with breakbeat science a firm fixture. It’s rare for a producer to successfully bridge the divide between the critically ghettoised high-energy rave underground and more ‘tasteful’ environs - but with another single and an album for 2nd Drop on their way this year, it’s clearly a formula that’s worked for DjRUM.

Words by:

Angus Finlayson