steve o'sullivan & mike schommer: submerged

As Mosaic reaches release number 40, Steve O'Sullivan dives into another studio collaboration with his new label mate and expert hand, Mike Schommer - bringing in the talents of Rod Modell on remix duties. Etching two slices of dub heavy grooves that cover either side of the techno and house spectrum, their first effort emphasises the former on title track "Submerged" (B1). It doesn't pull any punches - precision moulded bass takes centre stage around evolving synths and classic delay action. Their 2nd "Depth Charge Dub" (B2) leans more towards the latter as the duo focus on the combination of a rolling sub, laidback percussion and subtle stabs that cycle gently around. The cherry on top comes in the form of Rod Modell's "DeepChord's Negative-Space Exploration Version" as he takes a 9 min trip to the hinterland of his sonic imagination, elegantly finding new layers and spatial effects. Call it what you will, 'dubbed out house with a splash of techno' or 'dubbed out techno with a splash of house' - this is heavyweight material.