The machine is continuing to run after the release of Maztek’s colossal ‘Warpath’ LP. Following the musician’s most monumental achievement to date, ‘Warpath’ signified a new beginning for Maztek, one where he’d have full creative freedom over the music he spent years meticulously moulding within his studio through 0101 Musics. And it’s a studio which has laid claim to some of Neurofunk’s most definitive pieces; a legacy that’s still pushing the boundaries following Maztek’s most recent LP, alongside the remixes which have helped to add yet another dimension to his craft.
If the reworks of Maztek’s pivotal ‘Warpath’ LP weren’t enough to whet your appetite, he’s about to unleash four brand new cuts which signify why he became a genre great during the epitomic explosion of drum & bass. Including two dancefloor records, as well as half-time experimental numbers which will lend themselves to the abrupt edge of any DJ set, Maztek certainly delivers with this next release. Although this was to be expected from a label spearheaded by an artist held in such high regard, whose album rose to critical acclaim across the dance music spectrum.
The EP’s opener ‘Uncoded’ begins with ticking atmospherics, which slowly lead you into your peril as you’re dropped down a climatic chasm of punching drums and snapping beats. ‘Dis & Dat’ is more lumbering in its patterns, stepping between a carefully laid out composition and a growling bassline. Then ‘Make it Clap’ lends itself to 0101 Musics burgeoning diversity, one which is beginning to seep its way into every layer of the drum & bass fabric. It’s shifting subs and clinking breaks pull you deep into the mix, as it crashes formation after formation. The final attack is done through ‘Fatal Error’, which again is brooding in its intensity yet still hits on target again and again as it begins to become almost overbearing. It adds an uncertainty to 0101 Music; it’s an uncertainty which heralds the imprint, proving that they’re not here to stick to any one prototype. Instead, they’re here to define themselves in their own right and ‘Warpath’ proved to be just the beginning.