I think it’s about time we added J.Robinson to the list of exceptionally talented, brooding new-school artists including Clarity, Overlook, Sam KDC, and Ruffhouse to name just a few.

With a handful of accomplished releases on a variety of top labels including Renegade Hardware, Loxy‘s Cylon & Ink’s Architecture, and a steady flow of urgent output from his own label Tribe12, the future is certainly looking bright. A forthcoming, devastating collaboration with Loxy & MC Fokus looks set to enhance his reputation even further, yet it’s this collaborative release with rising star Gantz on London-based Soundman Chronicles that really highlights his distinct diversity and tribal-aligned technical proficiency.

With a slew of artists generally associated with DnB making the step across to 140 territories of late with remarkable aplomb – Amit is reportedly lining up a single for Tempa. with ‘Don’t Forget Your Roots’ and ‘Acid Trip’ lying in wait; and Jubei, Consequence and Skeptical all offering up some tantalising dubs with appearances in sets from Youngsta, J:Kenzo, Icicle et al – it comes as little surprise that there too exists no regression in terms of quality of output from the Londoner at a similar tempo. You may already be familiar with the A-Side which made a brief appearance on Icicle’s Rinse.19: solo offering ‘The Maasai’ glides through its arrangement with a deceptively simple swagger, a supremely confident sum of few parts involving a not over-excessive use of cowbell and a pounding triplet of kicks. Laced with a dangerous immediacy, what’s intriguing here is that, for a genre almost defined by its sub-bass movement, it takes a few listens to realise not one single bass-note appears throughout, testament to the precision and originality of the track itself. The B-Side continues the fruitful partnership that gave us ‘Spontaneous’ on Tribe12’s Mysticism EP, as ‘Misread’ marries Gantz’s trademark attention to detail with a pulsating flute sample and delicate handling of ticking hi-hats and vocal snippets.

Vinyl lovers rejoice! Pressed on a limited run of 12’s with no digital copies in sight, with an alluring lack of artwork also adding to its white-label prestige, J & Gantz’s appearance on Soundman Chronicles is a perfect introduction to the two’s stripped-back, articulate bustle at 140bpm, and a great piece of wax for those making the costly yet supremely satisfying journey within the greater confines of record collection.

J. Robinson & Gantz – The Maasai / Misread is out now. Get yours via Chemical Records.

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