A Decade of Tectonic

With his slot alongside fellow Tectonic artists Mumdance, Logos and 2562 at this Friday’s HOAX at Melkweg, we asked founder Pinch to compile a playlist in honour of Tectonic’s first decade featuring one track from each of its years. He did just that saying, “Here’s my selection of 10 tracks to cover the first 10 years of Tectonic output. It’s not meant as a ‘best of’ for the label, but more to highlight the changing moods and sonics of the label over the years by picking just one track from each year to represent. Hope you enjoy this walk down Tectonic memory lane!” – Pinch. So without further delay, dig in.

2005. Cyrus (Random Trio) – Indian Stomp (TEC004)

“The classic dubstep sound of 2004/5 was more of a percussive and cinematic than focussing on creating hype energy. Moody sub heavy rollers. ‘Indian Stomp’ is a perfect representation of that era. The track also made it’s way into the film ‘Children Of Men’ which was a big deal at the time as far as I was concerned!”

2006. Loefah – System (TEC007)

“So many good tracks that came out on the label in 2006 it’s the hardest year to pick from. Couldn’t leave this off the list though – pure power house of a track with blazing reverb’ed bass hits the way only Loefah could seem to pull off. This one really comes alive on a good sound system.”

2007. 2562 – Kameleon’ (TEC016)

“The rhythm, the sound palette, the mood… Is it dubstep? Is it techno? Just please don’t call it ‘techno-dubstep crossover’… It must be 2562! Preceding the excellent ‘Aerial’ LP in 2008, ‘Kameleon’ is a pacey, carefully constructed drum workout – some voodoo techno business!”

2008. Skream – Percression (TEC022)

“Originally featuring as the flip-side to ‘Heddbanger’, I wanted to feature this Skream track as it’s quite different from what most people have come to expect of his productions. A strange energy, with a very odd combination of dub aesthetics, a bonkers bubbling bassline and an almost 4/4 rhythm that is constantly tripping over itself.”

2009. Kryptic Minds – 768 (TEC032)

“Deep, dark, moddy and rolling – just how I like it! In my opinion, this is one of if not the best ever Kryptic Minds track – pulling in sonic influence from their D&B days, pulling in some techno flavours and rubbing it up with some seriously moody bass and chilling pads. Turn the lights out, turn the volume up.”

2010. Scientist vs Mala (Digital Mystikz) – City Cycle Dub (TECCD010)

“I had to include a track from the Scientist project. Organising the whole thing took me most of a year and a lot of stress to pull off but it felt like an achievement at the end of it! Here, King Tubby’s original apprentice and one of the greatest living legends in dub music, took on the sound of UK dubstep and fired it into outer space! “City Cycle’ is also one of Mala’s classic tracks so this is a great excerpt from the LP.”

2011 – Photek – Pinch remix (TEC050)

“Had to have a big release to mark the 50th Tectonic 12″ and getting the now LA-based jungle legend Photek on the label was a dream come true! I took up the reins to remix ‘Closer’ and turned out this rolling almost liquid D&B vibe version. Maybe not the best track released that year but worthy of note nonetheless.”

2012. V.I.V.E.K – Against The Tide (TEC064)

“Purist dubstep from the one like VIVEK – simple ingredients, finely tuned for maximum impact. While the more mainstream side of dubstep proliferated in the States and around the globe, turning the wobble factor up to 11 on the dial, this is a great track to represent the ‘other side of dubstep’ at the time. Power in dub.”

2013. Mumdance & Logos – Legion (TEC075)

“This track represents a switch in the mode of the label from dubstep to where the label and I myself have moved productions wise, slowing things down tempo-wise from the 140bpm of dubstep to 128(ish)bpm. the moods and ambitions are very similar to the earlier days of the label – dark, hard, deep, innovative. Not necessarily in that order. My favourite tune of 2013 and happy it’s on Tectonic.”

2014. Pinch & Mumdance – Turbo Mitzi (TEC076)

“Building on from the intoxicating vibe of ‘Legion’, this is the first tune I made with Mumdance. It’s been a bit of a banger and I’m still hearing it played out by a wide variety of DJs – always a good sign when a tune brings different tastes together! We aimed to capture the moods of early jungle/Metalheadz-style records and drive it with some techno flavoured moves. Generally goes off in a dance!”

HOAX host Tectonic this Friday, 12 June at Melkweg, Amsterdam. Joining Pinch are fellow Tectonic artists Mumdance, Logos and 2562. The latter of which will be performing live with A/V artist Heleen Blanken. Find out more here.