September: 7 bass releases you need to hear this month

Six Sunsets 'Opaque' (Sublow Sound)

If you’re as old as we are, you’ll remember that ‘sublow’ was a term for early grime. Sublow Sound isn’t a grime label and Newcastle duo Six Sunsets aren’t a grime act, but it does serve as a reference point that immediately brings to mind Britain’s longstanding and unique club culture. No surprise, then, that the title track kicks off with the sounds of UK hardcore rollage and resonant bass, dropping in alternately ravey and rudeboy vocal snips with a few laser synths for good measure. It’s followed by an only slightly later-era, stripped-down version of early jungle on ‘This Sound’, with both tracks resembling the kind of modernised throwbacks Zomby made on ‘Where Were U In ’92?’ (albeit slower at 130 bpm). Third track ‘Angel Porn’ uses elements of bassline, grime and hardcore, but loses their effectiveness and gets confused in what it’s trying to accomplish. Six Sunsets have some work ahead of them in refining their production techniques, but this is is a fun spin on classic genres by people who are probably too young to have been there the first time around.

7/10