After covering Pariah in the Dubstep Dossier back in April, we’ve eagerly been awaiting more material from the UK producer. His debut EP for R&S Records, Safehouses, drops soon and builds on the promise of his first single.
The EP finds Pariah experimenting with the full complement of future grooves. Most of Safehouses plays in the house / UK funky end of the pool: two-step beats and swirling synths drive the about half of the tracks. Vocals appear as clips and phrases, heavily-processed hooks that hint at the records they’re sampled from. “Crossed Out” follows in the footsteps of “Orpheus:” a soothing dance-floor jam that is somewhat chaotic despite it’s mellow sheen.
As for more of the glitch hop hinted at in the Dilla-esque “Detroit Falls,” Pariah comes through on “C-Beams.” As if emerging from the fog, “C-Beams” is all polyrhythms and bass blasts, before disappearing into the atmospheric soundscape of the title track.
If you need another reason to check him out, Pariah has been co-signed by dubstep’s preeminent radio DJ, Mary Anne Hobbs, and he contributed this guest mix for her BBC Radio 1 program last month. Not bad for a 22-year-old university student who makes beats in his spare time.
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