alex coulton: hand to hand combat/concealed weapon

With a slew of lauded 12"s on Hype_LTD, Black Acre, Idle Hands, Livity Sound's dnuoS ytiviL, and Bloc, Manchester-born Alex Coulton has successfully branded his own stamp on the tougher strands of UK bass music. Here, "Hand to Hand Combat" kicks things off, packed with pugnacious bass tones and dystopian drones; driven, steely toms and pellucid rimshots scatter across the mix in a high-pressure affair before "Concealed Weapon" demonstrates the adroit management of atmospherics that's propelled Coulton's production path thus far. Dense, throbbing subs form an underbelly while menacing growls intertwine with reverberated claps and snares.