Backyard: Fiery 200 Beat-Per-Minute Hardcore by Dev/Null and Encanti

It’s been a little while since I’ve covered a Vermin Street release so I figured now is a great time as their output over the past six months has been pretty steady. I can almost set my watch to the minute that I get a message in my inbox from their crew to point out a new tune they’re slingin’!

Astraying a minimal distance from their experimental ethos, Vermin Street’s newest release (the sixth in the series) comes to us directly from the studios of Pete Dev/Null and Encanti. This is easily their darkest and most sinister release to date; it’s most definitely not one to play to your parents at the dinner table! (Unless, of course, your parents love 200 bpm breakcore…then I beg to differ.) 

Dev/Null’s unpredictable amalgamation of sounds reigns supreme in “Amen5d”. Here we witness dozens of hand-picked breakbeats edited with microcosmic precision, computerized glitchy sounds bit-crushed within an inch of their lives, and plenty of dissonant chords to keep the listeners scratching their heads all the way through. Even at the frentic tempo, if you listen carefully you can take in all of Dev/Null’s influences here: everything ranging from hardcore, old school rave music, drum & bass, chiptune, baltimore club, it’s all in the bag if you pay attention.

Although not quite as dark, something still disturbs me about Encanti’s “Mob Boss Killa” on the flip side. It starts out as a downtempo hip hop piece circumnavigating the 100 bpm range and dominated by a menacing, cinematic string section. After a quick break the speed doubles and gives way to more amens and chopped breaks (as if there wasn’t quite enough on Amen5d to tickle your fancy!) If your family liked the former track, then I assume it’s safe to play this come dessert time at the table too.

I don’t doubt for a second that gathering all the breaks that comprised both of these pieces involved a great deal of crate digging, which explains the main image I chose to use here.

Be on the lookout for Vermin Street’s 7th release to hit shops in January. It includes two vocal, reggae-tinged party rockers: One by Bongo Chili (and remixed by Vinyl Blight), and one by Cache Flowe, both with a similar feel and tempo in the range of 90 bpm (or 180, depending on how accurately you count).