The EP is kicked off with a collaboration with Codebreaker. The track is entitled Lost Time and wastes no time in building the beat and throwing you straight into the mix. The high end sounds are crisp and punchy whilst the deeper sub bass rolls around the speakers in effortless motion.
Although the track has many elements in terms of percussion, bass and vocals it makes every sound do the work needed to make a real Drum ‘n’ Bass anthem. Sweeping bass jumps from speaker to speaker whilst the tempo is consistent with barely any breakdown at all. A relentless track and a powerful opener to the EP.
Lost Time is followed up by a track featuring Break and DRS. Just from the artists involved it goes without saying Always New picks up where Lost Time left off. Many artists in the heavier side of Drum n Bass are giving their take on Hip Hop and this is going to be many people’s favourite from this release.
The track isn’t dominated by the DRS’s bars, he flows with the rhythm of the beat rather than overtaking the mix. His fast paced style contrasts with the bouncing slower-paced beat. Always New could so easily reach the heights of Dub Phizix’s Marka and is a step in the direction so many artists, like Noisia and The Upbeats, are taking.
It is rare for an EP to flow in a linear fashion but Xtrah has managed to do just that. Groove Shadow is possibly the epitome of using minimal amount of elements but creating a fully polished sound. The percussion keeps the beat bouncing almost setting you up for a soulful and uplifting drop for you only to be taken to the darkest of depths through the low frequency bass.
It is the lower frequencies that carry this track and it is a true masterclass in creating atmosphere without going over the top on darkness. If you’re a lover of the likes of Ulterior Motive or Optiv and BTK then you’re going to have this one on repeat for days.
We are then treated to something really rather special. Break’s remix of Cyrax. Just as you were gathering composure from the onslaught of bass you are thrown straight to the floor. This last one takes the original and gives it a completely new identity. It’s hard to describe just what Break does to create this monumental beast of a track, you’ll just have to wait for the drop.
All in all a complete success of an EP. There is a real art to making an EP flow from track to track like this does as four songs is a very short time period to do so. Somehow they guys at Symmetry have done just that and this is definitely one of the biggest EPs released this year. Do not hesitate in getting your copy and add something to your sets that will completely annihilate any ravers that step in its path.