Texas-based Warm Comms have always been a reliable outlet for off-centre yet uniformly engaging beats around the 170 mark, and with its sister outlet Pushing Red replicating that success with a string of visceral Techno releases they’re now ready to unveil an exciting new project: The Umbra Series. It’s fair to say we’re most intrigued – anonymity is the name of the game here, with no artist or track names in sight, each release the purest form of cutting edge Drum & Bass with a humility only equalled by Karl Urban in 2012’s Dredd. And the man behind it all, label owner EHL took some time out from his seemingly hectic schedule to kindly give us his Five Essentials, the five key tracks that have most informed his musical journey. Selection!

 

DJ Crystl – Sweet Dreams

Caught me straight away back in the day and still does. The ethereal vibe of this tune is just perfect to me. Rough and the smooth. That breakdown still gets me every time. Most people [I would think] would pick “Meditation” or “Warp Drive” from Crystl, but this one has always been my fav from the man. In all honesty though, the man really didn’t produce a bad tune back in his day.

[youtube_sc url=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9RJki3DBg8″ modestbranding=”1″]

 

Aphex Twin – Untitled (Cliffs)

I know I know I know….everyone always has one, but there is a reason for that lol. Easily one of my all time favorite tunes. The genius in this for me is the feeling of sheer beauty, but under that is this weird disorienting sense. It’s just perfect.

[youtube_sc url=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i524g6JMkwI” modestbranding=”1″]

 

K – The 7th Dynasty

Classic Subtitles release. Expertly clever and strange in only a way K aka Polar can pull off. No one sounded like him back in the day and still no one does. My favorite bit from him other than “Oblivious“.

[youtube_sc url=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rc6aS2msgQ” modestbranding=”1″]

 

Link – Arcadian (Global Communication Remix)

Released back on Warp‘s Artificial Intelligence series back in the mid-nineties. Beautiful, funky, transcendant. What would you expect with Tom Middleton & Mark Pritchard working together? This was standard playlist back in the day when I used to smoke lol.

[youtube_sc url=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlcnjSOV18Q” modestbranding=”1″]

 

Odyssey – Expressions

It’s just fucking bad.

[youtube_sc url=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVwQpkxP2EA” modestbranding=”1″]

 

The Umbra Series Vol. 1 is out now, get yours via the official Warm Communications store.

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