ASC - Isolated Systems (2020)

One of the unexpected silver linings of our planet being plunged into the grips of a pandemic has been ASC’s return to Jungle / DnB.

Drawing stunned reviews from all corners of the DnB spectrum, the ‘An Exact Science’ EP on Samurai marked the first of a trio of releases in this style. Initially meant only as a one off EP, the creation of ‘An Exact Science’ turned on a spark in ASC that propelled him into a new phase of inspiration in his heavily equipped studio. Once an LP project was agreed to, the tunes came rapidly to the point of overflow (hence part 3 of the trilogy set for 2021).

From the barging opening force of ‘Process of Elimination’ to the intricate edits of ‘Cautionary Tales’ and ‘Anomaly’, and the ethereal emotive touches of ‘Rage’ to show-stopping set peak ‘Intensity’, all bases of the golden era of Jungle / DnB are touched. Predominately known as a ‘deep’ producer in every genre he touches, it’s no surprise that tunes like ‘Lost To The Void’, ’Hostile Intent’ and ‘Sub Zero’ will bring joy to those who came into this music from the early releases of labels like Reinforced, Metalheadz, Photek, and Source Direct Recordings.

With the current Jungle revival reigniting the early / mid 90’s era of Jungle / DNB, what we most hear crossing over is the more accessible, vocalised Jungle sound. ‘Isolated Systems’ is tailor made for those of us who have always scraped below the surface and revelled in the textured underbelly of our multi faceted scene.