Pariah - Rift (2012)

June 11th sees the release of Rift, the new three track EP by Pariah on R&S records, almost two years after the UK producer's last work under that name - the Safehouses EP. Having been impressed with Arthur Cayzer's previous work, particularly the sweeping, post-dubstep stylings of the aforementioned Safehouses set, I managed to track down some advance transmissions from Rift and was mightily surprised to hear how far things had come in that intervening period.

The EP kicks off in serious style with 'Rift' which opens with a static, filtered lockstep rhythm and then introduces a single descending tonal wobble which teases with it's eerie presence for a few moments before dropping out of the mix. A series of drones and metallic clangs build around the drum track before the bass wobble returns for the rest of the piece. It's a brilliant track which stuns with it's immediacy, simplicity and strange potency.

Next up is 'Signal Loss', resting on clipped kicks and a pulsing vocal tic whilst synths shimmer like dust motes in the air. Cayzer then introduces a piano flourish and more stretched vocal samples whilst the track turns widescreen with a static sheen hovering over a sparse, clattering break. 

But, it's the final track that pricked my ears and caused me to keep on hitting repeat. 'Among Those Metal Trees' is simply three and a half minutes of melancholy ambience, a mesmerising tangle of compressed drones and found sounds which are pulled like a vapour trail behind a mournful, molasses-slow vocal snippet. It's a revelation after the first two tracks and a stunning end to an incredible EP.

This release should surely cement Arthur Cayzer's reputation as an original and forward thinking producer in the field of dubstep and a wider, more experimental electronics sense. 

Huge recommendation and another one to add to the release of 2012 list!

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