Optiv presents: Tobax – Tooth Pain / Balanced

Labels like Red Light Records continue to pave the way for drum & basses underground with every dystopian slammer they unleash onto their extensive fan base. Whether it’s in the darkest depths of Europe’s club circuit, or at the 174bpm meccas of large-scale festivals like Let it Roll, Red Light Records continues to set a standard often missed by its more commercial counterparts. For their next single, they’ve enlisted their roster heavyweight Tobax, a Russian connoisseur who’s relentless in his engineering, producing cut after cut of nastily manufactured chaos.

‘Tooth Pain’ and it’s equally aggressive flipside ‘Balanced’ proves that the internationally renowned artist continues to slay in the studio as well as behind the decks. On first listen, you become instantly aware why his latest releases have won the admiration of revered figures such as Noisia, June Miller, Ed Rush, A.M.C. and Mefjus, with a meteoric ascent which started in 2010 under a different pseudonym. Focusing on the harder side of drum & bass with a mix of stunningly intricate atmospherics and composite layering, he’s pushed boundaries since he was first enlisted into the genre’s most esteemed neurofunk labels.

‘Tooth Pain’ moves out on rumbling stabs, quaking subs and foreboding spikes of synth. You’re lead from an ominous snippet of vocal into a clattering drop of epic proportions, rolling your head first into a chasms of crashing, undiluted noise. Each distorted pulse of sonic pushes you into a flurry of punching bass notes, before you’re dragged beneath its chopping waves and expertly constructed layers. Tobax does what he does best, throwing you without constraint into a bassline current which is impossible to remove yourself from.

‘Balanced’ is a collaboration alongside a producer who’s well-known for his contribution to drum & bass powerhouse Gyrda. Mizo adds his powerful, brooding production standard to Tobax’s unadulterated call-to-arms signature, flexing a musicality which is as intimidating as it is all-encompassing. Together, they continue to bring the pain for Red Light Record’s next release. And it proves the label’s scope in selecting the fiercest contributors to help extend their increasing back catalogue of music. Once again, Red Light Records prove to be unstoppable.

Beatport Exclusive: July 24, 2017