EPA08: Acid Lab – Babylon Falling EP

EASTERN PROMISE AUDIO WELCOMES BABYLON FALLING BY ACID LAB

Eastern Promise Audio comes through with yet another EP, this time bringing the sounds of the already well known German drum ‘n bass producer Acid Lab, who has already established himself with a number of noteworthy releases on various labels. For his debut EP ‘Babylon Falling’ on the EPA brand, three of his tracks encapsulating the label’s sound perfectly were crafted to start up the ride, with a storming remix by Phuture-T of one of the tracks to finish it off.

As was shown on Double O’s ‘Why Are We Here?’ EP (EPA02), reggae vibes and dark drum ‘n bass sounds can mix flawlessly. Acid Lab shows once again that this sound can be maintained on the latest EPA release, where a minimal but hard hitting jungle sound was chosen to blend with dark dub vibes and ambient, mysterious sound schemes. The result is a 4-track EP which fits right in the expanding Eastern Promise catalogue.

The A-side is entitled ‘Babylon’, where a steady break and chirping birds make it a rather uplifting start of the EP when ambient pads start to rise and chanting vocals seem to bring Jamaican heat into your ears, until the breakdown bring a sudden drop with dissonant stabs and a deep bassline that is accompanied by grinding amens. Entrancing pads keep rolling under the spectacle to make it define the theme of this EP.

The B-side ‘Jah’ is a masterclass session in the power of hard hitting hoover leads and modest but smashing basslines effortlessly blending with a wild texture of amen and mule breaks. Dissonant strings interchange the sections of the track with cold winds and dub effects as it is signaling the upcoming winter. As the tune carries on, the chilling sounds will make you shiver just as much as the drum ‘n bass vibe will move you.

Finally, the last two tracks go hand in hand, as the C-track ‘Retribution’ is accompanied by its own remix on the D-side. The former opens with deep hitting drum stabs and pads resembling a cold wind as in the previous track, while dubbed drum effects and rolling breaks work towards a quite sudden breakdown of mashing breaks and gnarling, creepy bass sounds. Its stepping vibe however, makes it modest but raw hitting nonetheless. Phuture-T’s take on this track finally, keeps up the vibe of the original in terms of atmosphere, but adds more desolating sounds to the palette and brings an all-out jungle ode to the mule break which can be only described as merciless. It can be safely mentioned that it is a thundering conclusion to an EP for accompanying the cold days that lie ahead of us.

BUY HERE:

EPA08: Babylon Falling EP
Artist: Acid Lab

Tracks:
A: Acid Lab – Babylon
B: Acid Lab – Jah
C: Acid Lab – Retribution
D: Acid Lab – Retribution (Phuture-T Remix)

Release Date: September 9th, 2013
Format: wave, aac, flac, alac, ogg and more
Mastering: Macc
Artwork: R. Peperkamp