Various Round Black Ghosts

• Words: Cameron Macdonald
• Label: ~scape
• XLR8R Rating: 7/10

Round Black Ghosts is a solid primer for dubstep’s post-techno side, as seen through the lens of Berlin label ~scape.Elemental’s “Raw Material” best captures that sound where irate, acid synth lines run into faint, dubby guitar riffs. Pinch’s digital knick-knacks stalk the listener on the eerie “136 Trek,” while Pole’s dubstep experiment, “Alles Klar,” waits ominously just around the corner–however, its hiccuping rhythm tends to go nowhere. Those looking to follow dubstep’s bloodline to Berlin digital-dub can dissect 2562’s “Channel Two” where the Dutch producer smudges gaseous synth riffs and room-rattling bass across a jittery South London rhythm. Maybe safest to just let dubstep stay in the lab.