Here's a new take on dubstep. Pack the bass wobbles, dour beats and glowering moods in a suitcase and take them on holiday to Cuba. That's what original dubstep lynchpin Mala (aka Digital Mystikz) did on this collaboration with Cuban musicians, which is the latest release in selector king Gilles Peterson's ongoing Havana Cultura series. The result is a perfect blend of Mala's throbbing and restless bass music rubbing effortlessly along with the exotic percussive rhythms and entrancing piano-driven aesthetic of Cuba. Refreshingly, you'd hardly know it's dubstep until eight tracks in, when The Tunnel flexes its brooding bass muscle. There's the mad galactic-beat frenzy of Cuba Electronic, the unnerving volatility conjured up by Revolution, and Curfew manages to swoon, stomp, and flutter, all in one. An inspired collaboration.
Stars: 4.5/5
-Timeout
