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Bukkha - Badda Den Dem EP [IFS016]

Not many reviews begin with comparing Infernal Sounds to Keanu Reeves' 1994 blockbuster 'speed', but this isn't many reviews. Since bursting onto the scene way back in '15, Infernal have refused to take their foot off the metaphorical accelerator in terms of consistently quality dubstep releases. Ushering in the year with a heavyweight release from Chad Dubz, followed by J:Kenzo's 'Cure Dem' remix and 'Shijima's Revenge ', Infernal Sounds have been in my bank account more times than that ATM kitted out with a card skimmer in Leicester city centre. The speed and ferocity these guys drop tunes with makes me hesitant to say this will be the last release of the year, but for now we can only pray.

No stranger to the imprint, Bukkha returns to cause more structual damage to venues across the globe - this time with Killa P, Blackout JA and Gaze Ill in tow.

Titular track 'Badda Den Dem' should sound very familiar by now. It's been slapping up dance floors for a hot minute now and, if I was a bookies, I'd say the odds of it tearing up Outlook this summer are fairly high. A lot of Bukkha's output this year has veered down the dubbier path, so this tune is a nice way of reminding you that he's a highly versatile producer capable of engaging in cross-spectrum sonic warfare. Still drawing on the dub foundations with plenty of delays on the percussion and an intermittent siren present - the energy conjured in 'Badda Den Dem' is pretty damn energetic. That rumbling sub coupled with Killa's lyrics is a winning formula.

The B1, 'Rise of the Beast', follows a similar blueprint to 'Badda'. Still unequivocally dubby in nature, the inclusion of reverbed square waves and Blackout JA's vocals inject additional levels of gas to the riddim. I think if I had a gun pointed to my head and told to pick a favourite track, this would be the juan. I haven't actually had the pleasure of hearing this one over a rig yet, but you know that 6th sense you get about a tune and you can feel it down your spine even though you're only using earphones? yeah, I get that from this tune.

Closing out the release is the collab with Gaze Ill - 'Stems Dub'. It's always hard to tell why a track is named what it is, but my best guess is that it's because this one is best bumped once you've picked out all the seeds and stems and are engaged in herbalist behaviours. 'Badda' and 'Rise' will have you jumping around like a grasshopper on acid, 'Stems' will elevate you to those higher planes - adding just the right amount of variation to the release.

As always with an infernal review, we now take the time to sit back and appreciate Emily Dayson's artwork for the release. Like the Kenzo release, the a e s t h e t i c s of the artwork perfectly complement the tunes on the EP. Her rendition of a Chinese Imperial Guardian lion evokes the Partly militant, partly mystic characteristics present throughout the tracks.

Another spicey af release! If you're lucky there might be some left:

Unearthed Sounds - http://bit.ly/IFS016UE

White Peach Records - http://bit.ly/IFS016WP

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