Since we featured the inauguration of Signal Life back in April of last year, instigators Teeth and Desto have steadily built an exciting outlet for those who like their beats low-down, broken and heavy. Their merry band of contributors has included LAS, Visionist, Last Japan, Zebra Katz, French Fries and Kowton, with each artist equipped with an array of distinctly individual styles across varying BPMs to help tackle the task of getting bodies moving. “Signal Life is more to do with a vibe, or a momentum…. that energy you can find in juke, underground hiphop, ghettotech, old school grime or garage…” was the duo’s self-stated ethos from the jump and they have undoubtedly harnessed that energy; the curation of the releases feeling uninhibited and free from any particularly defined expectations aside from dropping chunky, bass-fuelled club weaponry. The split 12” format over the first four releases has enabled the Finnish founders to showcase their own freshest constructions back to back with the aforementioned guest producers, juxtaposing wicked combinations of artists like Brooklyn’s really-quite-out-there Zebra Katz with French Fries’ inimitable Parisian flavours and Teeth’s fractured drum machine work-outs. Signal Life’s output seems to have dipped beneath the radar a little in comparison to the wider-scale dominance and crossover success of house/ techno-centric dance music this year. But along with solid core of admirers, we love the imprint’s unabashed mishmash of convergent sounds and murky weightiness here at Truants, a position strengthened further by just how great their imminent fifth record is.
Stream: Signal Life #05 – Preview
It revisits the killer line-up that graced SGNLF#02, throwing the Helsinki-based LAS into the mix alongside tracks from Teeth and Desto, with man-of-the-moment Kowton also coming through to deliver the release’s knockout blow. The Truants favourite has had a breakout year with that Jeremih refix and his preposterously rowdy banger “TFB” seeing release, not to mention stellar outings on Livity Sound, Hessle, Happy Skull and a fistful of remixes. His work has largely centred around variations on a theme that he has completely nailed, an intoxicating clash of techno and grime that jars with such a satisfying clatter. “Dub05” sounds as though it was built in a rich vein of creativity around the time “TFB” was made and works to similarly striking effect. Almost completely bereft of melody, it angles strafes of pneumatic drill-like pressure towards his signature clap percussion accentuations. Muted horns and piercing high pitch notes drift ominously over deep pits of sub-bass as offbeat cymbals chug through like pistons; it’s a bewildering listen with syncopations being hurled at you from all directions but its devastatingly stark, club-smashing minimalism at its best. Teeth’s “Black Thigh Shakes” has an equally minimal crosshatch of grimy drum arrangements and ramped basslines but with a less oppressive atmosphere, instead there’s a definite booty-swingin’ groove and swagger to it as its title might suggest. You see him rocking the live setup at shows more often than not nowadays and the staggered introduction of each of the tracks would definitely bang hard in a triggered live performance context.
Whilst his summer has been relatively quiet musically thanks to the arrival of the Teeth household’s newest member, his partner in crime Desto has been prolific, tearing London superclub Fabric to bits on his debut, jumping into a last minute set Boiler Room at Flow Festival that was as bogged down with technicals as it was entertaining, and his most definitive work yet in the form of his amazing debut album on Rwina. “Cool Down The Dance” provides a white-knuckle ride of footwurk freneticism over a backdrop of synthesised strings and taut analogue bass, the results of which bang so hard it has us hoping for plenty more of his higher-tempo excursions in the future. As with all of his music, everything is so harmonically on point that he sets off the heavy subs and ‘floor-agitating beats with a real emotive quality. Signal Life #05 is rounded off by the preciously talented LAS, and his “Liketha” track that was a highlight from Desto’s Hush House mix in ‘11. The brittle drum-machine driven textures and rounded slabs of sub-frequencies still sound fresh considering the track is a few years old, but be sure to check his Soundcloud if you haven’t recently as this is a guy on a meteoric rise right now and some of his latest bits are ridiculous. The 12” is a fittingly excellent conclusion to their 5 release mini-series and in a creative twist for the avid followers who have picked up each one, keep ‘em peeled for an announcement on the Signal Life pages regarding a secret code that you may or may not have just completed…
Signal Life #05 is out on limited vinyl this October exclusively from Juno, Boomkat and Redeye.
