Pinch Underwater Dancehall

Words: Matt Earp
Label: Tectonic
XLR8R Rating: 8.5/10

Since the world heard the near-perfect “Qawwali” (re-imagined here as “Brighter Day” with vocals from Juakali) it’s been waiting for Bristol dubstep king Pinch’s full-length, and with Underwater Dancehall he delivers in spades. Pinch’s layered production soars on tracks like the shuffle-bump of “Get Up,” the tumbling percussion of “Lazarus,” and the epic “Angels in the Rain,” which features Indi Khur’s vocals. While occasionally the vocalists risk smothering the tracks’ intricacies, more often than not they support Pinch’s echoed snares, bubbling basslines, and scattershot, world-traveled sounds (for instrumental fans, check the bonus vocal-free versions disc). This is The Wild Bunch updated for ’08, with Pinch keeping the dancehall live.