FRESH JUICE: 'Preset Resets’ by Various Artists (Tobago Tracks)

TT Label’s ‘Preset Resets’ brings together 4 newcomers to the imprint, all amassing an unconventional yet necessary sound in club.

Words by Oisín Campbell/ Design by Michael Savage

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Buy/ Stream here: tobagotracks.bandcamp.com/album/preset-resets

Preset Resets is a direct assault on genre expectations. A theme that seems to be becoming more and more viable in recent times as clubland welcomes a less serious approach to the dance, even in the mainstream. Flipping up the perceived rule books here are jenny sparks, Oliver Twist, FULL CIRCLE and SBUERS, all making their first mark on the imaginative London label who’ve housed the likes of object blue and DJ Pitch in recent times.

A consistent contributor to C.R.A.P Records (Countryside Rave Art Project) with his whacky take on bassline, jenny sparks opens up the noise on ‘Preset Resets’ with the minimalistic two step of ‘whenidieburymeupnorth’. Known for their giddy yet stripped back UK sounds, sparks’ depth of imagination allows you to hear and feel the foundations of the OG sounds. But take a bite and you’ll see that the filling is not quite the same. Chippy snares and MJ Cole-esque melodies float along the squelch ridden basslines on what becomes a rather gentle 2 touch bop overall.

Oliver Twist’s ‘Backroads’ which premiered on Plant Bass’d (See Here) follows, running up the voltage with its racing UK funky rhythm. Wall-bouncing acid licks and revolving snares keep this one on a short fuse, just about staying on course of its high edge speed zone. Within this soundscape there are elements of grime and influences of eski-beat, a sighting we caught a glimpse of before from Twist on his 2020 CRACKED EP.

(Pictured: Oliver Twist)

FIRST CIRCLE brings the focus into the drill zone with an instrumental that is destined to be laced over on ‘CHANNEL5_9PM_THERETTENDON_BOYS’. Deep cutting kicks set the floor for the bass line to hum over the edge alongside other forward pushing melodies and samples. The Londoner has been pushing out a well-crafted DIY sound through his own releases since 2018, boasting an extensive collection of hard-nosed instrumentals (See Here).

On close TT invite SBUERS to keep the rhythm locked in drill. Using a flurry of organic drums that mutate over big kicks, ‘RESETPOINT’ combines its digital elements very tidily with its live-feeling. If Livity Sound did drill, I’m pretty sure it would sound a little something like this. SBUERS is another UK producer that has been pushing out a steady collection of releases over the last couple of years, now deservedly being recognised with a feature on Tobago Tracks.

With ‘Preset Resets’, the outcome becomes just as intriguing as the initial theme. TT have brought together 4 bright UK minds here all pushing to do things their own way. All 4 acts, clearly inspired by the sounds that have been cemented around them, have found a way to make these pivotal sounds of bassline, funky, grime and drill appear fresh. The guidelines are the same, but the ingredients are different.

Discover the extended TT catalogue here.

Discover more from Jenny Sparks, Oliver Twist, FIRST CIRCLE and SBUERS .