Somewhere deep in the uninhabited tundra of northern Finland, there exists a secret underground fortress where a mysterious figure channels the powers of ice crystals to craft a strain of cold, dark dance music under the moniker Desto. Okay so maybe those details are a little bit inaccurate, but there’s no doubt that Desto has been creating some of the most evocative, thematically consistent, and meticulously crafted productions in the current dance climate. He impressed us last summer with his Makowrap EP on Rwina Records, and his forthcoming No Sleep EP for the Amsterdam-based label – set for a late February or early March release – continues to dazzle with his distinct brand of heavy, club oriented music.

“No Sleep” opens with an eerie, breathy melody that sounds like a lost take from the X-Files soundtrack, setting a suspenseful tone that’s complemented by soaring string flourishes. Desto employs a deep 808 kick and a reverb-drenched clap for the brunt of the track’s rhythmic work in a bold and beautifully understated fashion. The real star here, though, is the undulating, tightly-coiled bass line that ventures up from the abyss to wreak havoc on your whole body, leaving you feeling seasick and wobbly in the knees – in the best way possible. Stationed in a similarly cold extraterrestrial landscape, “Shadow Sole” is a richer production than “No Sleep,” largely due to a menacing synth pad that imbues the track with a subtle yet inescapable sense of paranoia. Once again Desto shows off an enviable rhythmic restraint, fleshing out a halfstepping kick pattern with the kind of snappy, stuttering snares characteristic of the Lex Luger school of production.

On “Monsters About,” Desto takes things in a more straightforward direction that reveals a pronounced Grime influence. Dizzying, detuned synth tones and short white noise sweeps open the track in a way that hints at the dark territory ahead but deceptively holds back the full truth. The “monsters” appear as a slinky, cold-blooded melody and an impossibly heavy kick drum that punches you in the chest as you try to gasp for air, and the result of their tag team effort is one of the most potent and devastating dancefloor affairs you’re likely to hear in the coming months. Rounding off the EP in style is the somewhat lighter and less aggressive “Can’t Take It.” Desto flexes some impressive filter work during the intro, building up the tension before giving way to a bouncy, half-time rhythm that’s peppered with lightweight hi-hat patterns and refined juke accents. The combination of the silky, gliding synth lead and mellow atmospherics give the track an alluring sheen that demands repeat listens, while the underlying bed of bubbling sci-fi bleeps and blips keep intact the gritty edge that we love so much about Desto’s production. This EP is already getting early support from big names like Mala, Ben UFO, Oneman, and Teeth, so you know it’s going to be big when it comes out late next month.

Desto – No Sleep EP [RWINA017] by rwina_records

Desto – No Sleep (Rwina Records) is out in late February/early March