Clubroot - Scars/Hellion

Clubroot - Scars/Hellion

Released on: Solace001 - 07 May 2012

Less than a month after releasing their third album in the eponymous trilogy, Clubroot have dropped a brand new release on the young Solace Records label. ‘Scars’ on the A side, and ‘Hellion’ on the flip, this is once again a safe and satisfying bit for fans of any atmospheric and ‘thought out’ dubstep. For fear of pigeon-holing, I am reluctant to throw any particularly specific genre names about, but the words ‘ambient’ and ‘dungeon’ are becoming increasingly popular of late and sum this up fairly well.

Any Clubroot fan will be familiar with the atmospheres and moods that come so easily to the duo’s tracks, and this is no exception. ‘Scars’ is a masterclass in ambient backdrops, the mood created is almost depressing, yet completely absorbing and beautiful. The swirling high end pad is so haunting and washed in reverb and delay that is is difficult to tell if it is a choral line, or some sort of ethnic string instrument.

The low end is taken care of by a gently modulated, yet powerful bass sound that has become a signature sound for Clubroot, it can be heard on other tracks such as ‘Comedown’ and ‘Closure’. This blasts the basic root movements under another layer of lush reverb. A subtle, warbling sub underneath pushes the low end to the max, and ensures that the listener is feeling the track in their body as well as their ears.

The use of field recordings help to add an organic layer and a sense of realism to the percussion and soundscape, which leads to one of the best bits of this tune, the drums. Classic skippy, half-time, 2-step beats roll through with ease, and the hats carry the beats high end beautifully.

Then there’s the percussion. The tribal drums that come in later fit perfectly into the mix and add another layer to the already huge drums, and there is a real feeling of depth in this rhythm track.

A haunting, yet inspiring tune, this could be one of Clubroots best tracks yet.

‘Hellion’ is one again a great example of the atmospheric mood Clubroot are known to thrive off. The vocal one shots are as terrifying as they are sexy, and used extensively to fill out the high end left bare by the huge bassline.

Words like filth and nasty are used too often to describe the ‘holy grail’ of dubstep tunes, the drop, and bass in general. However if ever a bass line deserved to be described as dirty and abrasive, it is in this tune. Over saturated and fuzzy, this bass leaves a mark when it hits, along with suitably dense reverb.

The drums are a lot simpler in ‘Hellion’ and more like what many would describe as traditional dubstep, half time, with not entirely complex hat patterns filling the gaps between first and third beats. Again Clubroot choose their percussion perfectly, and the vocal samples also fit in well with the groove.

Both tunes are what any CLubroot fan has been waiting for, and does not disappoint. One of Clubroot’s strongest releases yet, they will be proud of this.

If your thing is deep, dark and dank dubstep, then this is your thing. Fans of Youngsta’s shows will love this, and although you won’t see it in the charts, and probably wouldn’t hear it in a club other than on a dedicated night, it is a brilliant piece of music, and 2012 is set to be a good year for Clubroot.

For fans of Phaeleh, Kryptic Minds and Youngsta.