[~scape]

Of the new generation of dubstep producers, Sam Shackleton has proven himself to be the most receptive to crossing over with other genres in a mutually back-scratching manner. After famously remixing and being remixed by Ricardo Villalobos, Shackleton has more favors returned here. Reprising a combo first seen on last year’s Steingarten remixes project, Shackleton has two tracks from his forthcoming Skull Disco full-length remixed by Pole and Peverelist for a special vinyl release from ~scape, furthering the cross-pollination efforts.

Pole’s take on “Shortwave” takes things the furthest off the beaten path yet, as Stefan Betke wraps Shackleton’s skittering percussion attack in his trademark gauzy noise and radio signals, flickering in and out like a coded transmission from behind enemy lines. The tempo is kept down (for dubstep anyway) and there’s no bass to speak of, but somehow the rhythms manage to float through the sonic detritus regardless, becoming the skeletal frame on which Pole hangs his expertly manicured noise. This is an adventurous, great sounding mix — Betke is nothing if not a fabulous sound sculptor, and his work here sounds intense through headphones and expansive through speakers. Call it Berlin versus Bristol.

Peverelist’s mix of “You Take Me Down” is a more traditional dubstep excursion, but it’s a damn powerful one. Reprising Pole’s haunted radio theme at the outset, Peverelist soon ups the tempo and the intensity of the beats for a frenetic workout that plugs every visible gap with a rhythmic, ultra-percussive swing, all clang and clutter and echo, with a haunting flute melody whistling through the metallic trees in the breakdown. Dubstep hasn’t established itself as a permanent movement yet; it’s still a bit too young to be sure that it’s here to stay. It could stand a few more releases like this one, highlighting both the traditional ways and means of the genre and the readily adaptable nature of its various parts into new and interesting hybrids.