Dead Man's Chest – Nautilus EP

[dropcap]Y[/dropcap]et again, it’s time for all you heads out there to start preparing for another slice of sweet sweet Ingredients Records goodness. This time around, its the ever potent beats of Eveson, bringing those glorious drums to your ears under his newly formed alias: Dead Man’s Chest, with the second instalment of the Dead Man’s Chest project, entitled ‘Nautilus’. It’s clear to see from this, and the Dreamscapes EP, that this alias is a figure through which the early years of jungle and breakbeat hardcore can be reimagined in Eveson’s own slick, intricate style. It’s something that looks likely to be at the forefront of the recent mini hardcore revival that seems to be spreading through the scene, with similar styled releases such as Fixate’s recent ‘Throwback Therapy’ EP. 
Like the Dreamscapes EP, we’ve got four tracks, all of which are on the 12” vinyl release, with two tracks on each side. Kicking things of with the A1 slot we have ‘Liquid 94’ and we’re certainly not easing in to things; right off the bat the jolting snares fade in and out and some teasing sub bass creeps in before a chopped up vocal laces elongated keys, setting up a euphoric atmosphere ready for the return of that choppy break, with a tempo in the refreshing region of around 150bpm. The bass line rolls along as the vocal, sampled from Amel Larrieux’s 2003 track: ‘For Real’ (which you might recognise from Ivy Lab’s ‘Live on your smile’), chants “for real” before a miniature breakdown as the mood gets rapidly deeper, and the bass line gains aggression alongside some new ragga inspired vocals. Once we wind down again for a longer breakdown, clever use of that classic squeaking sample from Adam F’s legendary ‘Metropolis’ creates the perfect build up before the second drop comes in and the tune rolls out once more.
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Time to get those bodies moving now, with the absolute dance floor destroyer that is ‘Cut Throat Hardcore’. Jumping straight in, the intro comes at us with some natural hollow drums that fade in and out as the bass line bounces and flexes to the beat. One part of the jungle/hardcore era that Eveson has captured so well in this release is the sampling culture of the music, and this track is no different. Another chanting vocal leads us to the drop, where we’re met by a piano riff that’s reminiscent of a turn of the century hardcore revival style track, combined with an exquisitely formed break that would please even the most high maintenance of junglists. The well arranged and varied vocal samples continue to compliment the track as the bass line flips from short stabs to long growling pulses. This one’s probably the pick of the bunch for me; expect it to be tearing up the dance left right and centre!
On to the flip side now and the B1 slot with the title track ‘Nautilus’. We’re taking things down a notch with this smoother styled number, which opens with an ambient intro full of delightful crackles and some gentle bass stabs. As we drift along with the soothing intro, we get another dose of some of the wonderful sampling throughout this EP, with a vocal clip from Dance Conspiracy’s timeless track: ’Dub war’, first released back in 1992 on Metamorphosis recordings. This sets us up for the relentlessly smooth break, that flows beautifully alongside the ever adapting bass line. The second drop comes in with some funky horns (also adapted from ‘Dub War’), prior to which, the full vocal rings out: “dem me never tell you about the raggamuffin business and ting”. This is yet another brilliantly produced track, which gives us a real insight into some of the influences behind this project.
We’re switching the vibe once more for the final track entitled ‘The Future’, which is taking us into some unchartered half time realms. This track seems to have no concept of time, sounding like a blend between some early 90’s hardcore and something from some wonderful futuristic dance music utopia, while maintaining a certain dystopian romance. The intro comes in with soft chimes and horns that have a distinct oriental sound to them, immediately setting a scene for the listener. The thumping bass line quickly follows, carrying some serious weight with it while still maintaining an eerie calmness that runs throughout the track. Once again Eveson’s giving us some clues as to the contents of those mix tapes that inspired this project, with some fitting vocals used in Urban Shakedown’s hardcore classic: ’Some Justice’, that preach: “every posse and crew out there, the future is before your eyes”. This leads us into a prominently old school section of the track with a quick switch in the bass line and some typically 90’s high pitched tones, before we return to the eastern chimes and the original thundering bass line. This is an epic piece of music to round off a masterful EP; the 5 panels are certainly coming off to salute the Dead Man’s Chest on this one!
So if it wasn’t obvious already, you’re going to need to grab a copy of this EP immediately, so head over to databeats now and bag yours.
If you’re dying to hear some of these tracks played out, or just some good wholesome drums for that matter, get yourself down to Evolution at the Piccadilly Institute on August 11th for the EP’s launch night, where you can catch Dead Man’s Chest playing alongside the likes of Foreign Concept, Halogenix, Clive Ingredients and more. Head over to the event page and check it out and start preparing for that sick call to work on wednesday morning 😉
In the meantime, Eveson has provided us with over an hour of old school beats in his Dead Man’s Mixtape to keep you entertained!
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