Backyard: Sable Gray Sunrise/Basswerk Files EP (drum & bass)

Basswerk is probably one of the most enduring record labels in the drum and bass business. Many know that the competition involved to gain support from fans of this genre can be downright fierce at times with only a very small number of artists and labels rising to the surface of a very large sea of talent. Basswerk is a label and artist collective run by the Greenmen that has been around for the better part of a decade; and it has just been over the last 2 years they have been gaining many people's recognition- the hard work has started to pay off for them. 

This label embodies the full scope of what an indie label should be about; they offer their releases on vinyl, cd, digitally, as mix cd's; some of them are free or limited edition. Basswerk has signed a great deal of producers from around the world and one of their recent signings is Boston producer Nick Dika, aka Sable Gray. He released a 3 track EP on Basswerk last year that showcases his talent as a producer and knack for incorporating vintage soul and house samples into his music.

Sable Grey's Sunrise EP opens with Pale Shelter, which is the strongest tune of the batch. It is based around a pretty memorable melody, and similar to his other tracks the complex yet subtle atmospheric components playing off each other outside the foreground highlight his rigid attention to detail. The warm undulating sin-wave sub bass in Sunrise clearly helps paint a clear picture of it's title, while Pressure incorporates a 90's drum and bass vibe with it's organic drum samples, apache break, piano, and vocals. Even though the EP came out some time ago, this is music that stands the test of time and isn't something that will be considered "dated" months or even years from now. Be sure to check out upcoming releases from Nick, he has been busy in the studio over the past months and is sure to have more content out there soon!