[Highpoint Lowlife] (buy mp3s)

An aptly titled release for Glaswegian Alastair on his début for the always interesting Highpoint Lowlife label out of San Francisco. Inspiration for the EP apparently came after Jackson read William Gibson’s The Gernsback Continuum, a sci-fi short set in the 1930’s whose protagonist experiences fractured glimpses of an improbable, far off future. Suitably the sounds employed on the “Futurist EP” take this past-looking-forward approach to heart, some sounding as kitschy as UFO movies looked in the 1950’s.

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“Jupiter Jazz” pays homage to World 2 World’s Detroit classic of the same name, though where the UR cut was a solid, 4/4, acid tinged onslaught, Gravious’ syncopated, inter-stellar dubstep funk fest comes much closer to the latter part of its name. With its melodies all chasing, complimenting and contrasting each other we are presented with a much more musical version of dubstep, one often overlooked in favor of trying to wring maximum pressure out of the bottom end. “Vultures” offers a completely different vision of the future, one more akin to a Planet Of The Apes eventuality or perhaps as seen through the eyes of Future Sound of London circa Papua New Guinea. Increasingly unstable shock waves of bass rumble by as a clutch of ethnic children chant dourly (perhaps giving a coded warning of the consequences to your internal organs if listening to this too loud), the half stepping rhythms eventually picking up pace and doing double time around the sluggish bottom end. The dark tones of “Vultures” may sound anomalous sandwiched between the two jazzy bookends of the EP, though it does break up the noodly sentiments considerably.

“World Of Tomorrow” revisits the retro-future vibe of “Jupiter Jazz,” though it’s less raved up at the Chalmun’s Cantina and more a serene, space-cruising exploration through the sonic nebulae. Like the EP opener, it is steeped in the sci-fi tones of Detroit and wouldn’t sound out of place in Innerzone Orchestra’s discography. The “Futurist EP” is an expertly executed concept release from one of Scotland’s finest dubstep producers; it will be interesting to see what Alastair Jackson has lined up on his reading pile next.