Mtwn: Embers EP
Diffrent Music

This six-track (two of them CD-only) debut EP by Mtwn, two brothers from a small town in east Belgium, features three solo productions, two collaborations with Arkaik (one also includes contributions from Dexta and Mauoq), and a VIP edit of “Tech9,” originally the B-side of a 2013 Mtwn single. On the basis of the four tracks provided, the siblings traffic in an intense, precision-fueled fusion of drum'n'bass, jungle, garage, and dubstep, and the EP's tracks aren't wanting for energy and ideas.

Up first, the title track inches into position slowly until an insistent tribal groove lunges into position at the one-minute mark, the brothers focusing on high-velocity beat clatter and nodding to jungle in cartoonish vocal accents that regularly pepper the jittery pulse. Arkaik, Dexta, and Mauoq add their noise to Mtwn's own on “Tales of a Tonka Truck Driver,” a writhing, bass-driven cobra of a tune, all punchy kick drums, ricocheting snares, and strangulated voices, after which “Spinal Groove” serves up a bass-thudding swarm of metallic pings, cymbals, and cut-throat snares whilst also managing to sneak in a surprisingly delicate breakdown. Lest anyone think Mtwn's going soft, the brothers exit the release with a suitably tough outro, “Four,” whose half­time drum patterns could topple a building or two. Think of it as raw beat science by two skilled beat scientists.

December 2015