Mako (feat. Throwing Snow, Detail, and Sine): Mako Presents The Truthseekers EP
Metalheadz

Mako's in particularly dynamic form on this three-track outing, though having three fellow truthseekers along for the ride—Detail, Sine, and Throwing Snow, to be exact—might have something to do with it. This is the first full outing on Metalheadz for Mako, aka Bristol, UK-based and Utopia Music head Stephen Redmore, though it specifically appears by way of Meth XX, a fertile label forum designed to give new Metalheadz artists a vehicle for bold self-expression.

“Tell Me Something,” Mako's blistering throwdown with Ukraine producer Detail, is the EP's prime cut, though the other two are hardly slouches. On a purely sonic level, “Tell Me Something” might first catch the ear for the piercing shotgun crack of its snare, but the tune as a whole is mesmerizing. Mako's at the top of his game here, with the producer packing the tune's six minutes with a lethal mix of kinetic beat thrust, bass throb, cryptic voice samples, and brooding synth tones.

With Utopia music's Sine (Al Schmifto) in tow, Redmore rolls out a stomping neurofunk groove for the “The Gully,” which, though more straightforward and less creatively inventive than “Tell Me Something,” hits hard with an anvil-like intensity. The EP regains its higher creative footing when Houndstooth artist Throwing Snow (UK producer Ross Tones) and Mako pool their considerable resources for the headspinner “Ju-Ken,” which pulls into its trippy, rapid-fire universe rave, garage, and jungle. It's immensely satisfying to witness such fearless and visionary creators hellbent on carving out new forms.

August-September 2014