Featuring AL GOBI

'Pueblo Grande' is the debut release from new UK-based label Constant State. This first 12" comes from label heads Al Gobi (Ian Blevins and Phil Moody). The pair had a pretty stellar 2013 with releases on Disco Bloodbath, Rothmans and Audio Parallax.

First up in this instance is 'Cup Of Tea', a fantastic example of imaginative track-naming if ever we saw one. A heady piano score rolls onerously through proceedings and a host of timpani back things up percussion-wise. Underneath it all is a subtle and wobbly bassline that ensures the groove remains firmly on track.

Cottam takes over the entire A-side of the record. Dismantling Gobi's efforts for his 'Ruff Treatment' remix, he chops that bassline and dips it into a healthy amount of acid, morphing it into something of a monster. Bigger and ballsier than in the original, the bass now gnaws its way through a thickly-padded kick drum. That same piano roll makes an appearance, in a seemingly more morose guise.

The second of Al Gobi's tunes to make it onto the release is title track, 'Pueblo Grande'. They've perhaps done a better job in naming this one - think sandy ruins and desert heat as stunted drum beats and stuttering bass weight play out across the landscape. Straightforward deepness with no frills, that now familiar piano makes an appearance again, except its use is sparser, lending itself to the track's barren and ritualistic feel.

Pueblo Grande EP - Al Gobi [Constant State]

[CSV001] is available soon via Juno.