Two of Russia’s finest drum & bass producers have combined forces for an exciting new project. St Petersburg’s Microfunk mastermind Bop, and Moscow’s minimalistic groove guru Subwave, unite for their debut collaborative release ‘Love & Other Drugs’. With their elegant approach to drum & bass, this four-track EP fuses futuristic indie-electronica, 2-step UK garage, glitchy beats and 80’s inspired vocal stylings.
Progressive euphoria is the name of the game in ‘Teardrops’ as Bop x Subwave pick apart the structure of D+B in this warm, delicate and hypnotic glitch number. Following suit is ‘Space Warp’ – darker with eerie undertones, packaged as a sub-heavy stepper.
The second half of ‘Love & Other Drugs’ sees the duo branch out beyond the realms of traditional D+B. The bittersweet ballad ‘Don’t Wake Me Up’ is kitted out with a definitive 80’s style. Seeing the EP home is ‘The Touch’ with the syncopated beatwork of 2-step UK Garage, complete with skippy breaks and snappy vocal sampling.
In the decade since the release of Hospital Records’ ‘Future Sound Of Russia’ LP, Bop and Subwave have produced an impressive array of tracks across Hospital Records, Med School, Liquicity, Shogun Audio, Metalheadz and Microfunk, cementing their reputations for going beyond the boundaries of D+B. Keep your eyes peeled for more collaborative musings from Bop x Subwave in 2020.
Released November 22, 2019 on Hospital Records
H/T Hospital Records.