Artist: Substructure
Title: Readers Waves Pt 1 / Comfort Guide
Label: Sumsonic Recordings
By: Simon Jones | 15 December 2003
Tracklist:

• A1: Readers Waves Pt 1
• B1: Comfort Guide
• B2: Intromate

Substructure "Readers Waves Pt 1 / Comfort Guide"

It's been two years since Substructure last released a single, when the track 'Electronik' appeared on Sumsonic sister label Mechanism. The duo of Paul Rogers and Chris Gainer has by no means rested on their laurels in that time, with many productions and remixes under their belt that have helped to carve a dedicated following of fans for the Sumsonic label. This latest Substructure single sees a more matured production duo, as evidenced by the departure from the label's normal sound into something rather special indeed.

'Readers Wives Pt 1' starts off in a warm and subtle fashion, but soon switches to a driving peaktime beast. A huge sub bassline rumbles at the heart of the track, with melodic layers riding over and under the devastating aftershocks. A vocal hook drifts in and out of the melodic stabs on occasion, adding to the emotive vibe. Tight drum rolls and subtle key changes take things right off the hook, adding the final touch that makes this a "secret weapon" you can drop out of nowhere and watch the chaos unfold. Don't say I didn't warn you.

'Comfort Guide' chills things right out, going to the lower end of the BPM scale, as techy chords drift over an aimless groove, backed by big harmonic stabs and minimal style melody lines. Soft delay pads draw out the sounds, with a nice echoing void being crafted in the process. A warm analogue bassline just shuffles along, and the track, whilst not something you could use on a dancefloor really, is beautifully crafted nevertheless. 'Intromate' sits on the end, continuing the ideas but with some breakbeats and quirky efx thrown in for good measure, making it a rather nice set opener indeed.

A trio of tracks that each have their own strengths, whilst showing the diversity of Substructure's production skills and perhaps hinting at a new direction for the Sumsonic imprint as a whole, and undoubtedly one of the label's finest releases yet.