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The UK’s most versatile and prolific electronic music producer is back with the second volume of his critically acclaimed Digital Underground mixtape – ‘D:U:2’, out now, following a string of successful live shows, his first in 11 years. Early mixtape singles ‘Truth’, ‘Riding Hi’, ‘Sorry’ and ‘i wna doit inth bckst’ have been supported by Tom Ravenscroft on BBC 6 Music and featured throughout the artist’s UK D:U:Live shows in June.
And yes, this is technically a new Scuba album, except he’s not calling it that. RA’s Henry Ivry said it best in his review of the maiden Digital Underground mixtape last year, observing that typical albums from the UK producer tended to be ‘state of the union-type releases’, whereas Digital Underground was ‘pure unadulterated joy’.
Indeed, this project is all about regaining a sense of fun in the studio, following a challenging yet rewarding film score project during the pandemic that had him burnt out and craving a return to the simple pleasures of music production without any strict parameters or guidelines. He sat down and began creating and what has followed has been some of the most exultant, high-octane productions of his career with Shawn Reynaldo commenting, ‘Paul Rose’s new D:U:2 mixtape might be the most objectively fun thing he’s ever released, at times employing elements one might expect to hear in a PC Music or Two Shell record.’
A thread runs through all Digital Underground cuts – a mining of the past, but always with an eye to the future – old skool hardcore, breakbeat, jungle and techno. The kind of raw, dopamine-fuelled soundtrack that scored ‘90s warehouse ravesfrom London to Manchester, but with that unique Scuba edge that ensures it’s never derivative and fits today’s dancefloors.
Focus Track ‘U Never See’: high energy, upbeat, with a jazzy feel. A helter-skelter of breakbeat percussive layers introduces staccato piano chord patterns as a pitch-shifted acid-vibe vocal duets with another in an other-worldly call and response.
The release features a further three mixtape exclusives: ‘Forever’ is drum-happy, crazily catchy, with twangy bass riff, scattery vocal fragments and multiple drops, while ‘Storms Of Love’ brings old skool hissy beats and reverb-rich bass, alternating with bursts of high, soulful vocal riffs, for an insistently brain-invading rave package; while ‘Pill Press’ asserts itself with techno beat, demanding percussion, piano chord motifs over ominously swooshing synths and chimes, entrancingly danceable.
‘This is the second part of a series started last year which explores the classic era of hardcore, which is one of my absolute favourite periods of dance music history’ Scuba says. ‘It's been a lot of fun to put together and the second mixtape gets into some of the themes that we didn't delve too deeply into on the first one, so it's a great way to continue.’
Scuba ‘D:U:2’ is out now on Hotflush Recordings. Get it here. Watch Scuba perform D:U:LIVE on Hör here.
Tracklist:
1. Scuba – Saturday
2. Scuba – U Never See
3. Scuba – i wna doit nth bckst
4. Scuba – Sorry
5. Scuba – Forever
6. Scuba – Riding Hi
7. Scuba – Storms of Love
8. Scuba – Pill Press
9. Scuba – Deception
10. Scuba – Give Up Everything
11. Scuba – Pocket Rocket
12. Scuba – Truth
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