For an album as universally excellent as Frederic Robinson‘s debut Mixed Signals, it’s surprisingly hassle-free choosing a single track from the bunch as our track of the week and the symbolic centrepiece of the LP itself. ‘Particles’ has been floating around for a good while now, as a Diffrent dub in podcasts such as Dexta’s UE.7 back in September ’12. Anyone who has been following the young producer’s progress will have noticed his undoubted skill in simple yet technical elegance, and in this respect ‘Particles’ eschews the melancholy of some of his previous work such as his remix of Sine Weaver’s ‘Eppit’ for sheer exhilaration within the confines of 170 DnB.

Take a second to absorb FredRob’s exhilarating crescendos and playful construction [FredRob – and what] with each sparkling string flourish combining like an aural firework display: the Final Fantasy XIII ballroom scene equivalent in contemporary electronica. Bass growls are passive-aggressive and finicky percussion glides through the arrangement with a real organic vibrancy.

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There’s a whimsical maturity throughout that betrays his tender years all too well… ‘Particles’ is a fantastic indication of the scene’s innovation of late, a sound born from DnB yet evolved so far out of reach to be almost unrecognisable. The closest to the poetic we’re likely to hear within these musical brackets for quite some time.

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