Soundboy / Freedom Sound – ZeroZero & Nymfo – DISLTD055

This week we’ve another quality Dispatch release, and this time round it’s on sister label Dispatch Ltd.
The artists on this outing are ZeroZero, in what is their debut release on this label, and they are joined by none other than the multi-talented Nymfo.
ZeroZero might be a new name for some but this duo have been kicking out quality tunes on labels such as Fokuz and Program and more releases are lined up for the rest of 2018. Nymfo is one of those artists that can bang out a dance floor sub heavy workout, or hook up with a beautiful voice and lay down a magnificent liquid track; there is no style of tune that this guy fears.
First up we have ‘Soundboy’ in which ZeroZero pair up with Nymfo. The intro starts with spacious pads with a futuristic arpeggio riff that floats in and out of focus while the chunky drums carry you to the drop. It’s quite a short intro and before you know it the ragga ‘Soundboy’ sample vocal feeds in just before the sub bass comes and punches your head and chest. It’s not too overpowering and works well with those chunky drums I mentioned earlier. This is a good tune to work the dance floor, when you want to switch it up and inject some extra energy in the place.

‘Freedom Sound’ is a Solo ZeroZero production. You can easily tell that Jungle has had a massive influence on their sound. To be honest I wouldn’t have been surprised to hear this tune out when I was raving in the mid 90s; the drum edits here are very of that era. Starting with a dreamy pad that is instantly recognisable and reminiscent from the early 90s sound, an understated drum pattern carries things till the inevitable sub workout at the drop. The nasty midrange stabs catch your ear inbetween the crafty drum programming which fits in so well – sometimes artists can over do the mid-bass and actually forget about the low end but ZeroZero have the right balance here. There are a lot of familiar drum breaks in ‘Freedom Sound’ that bookend that Jungle vibe: switching from the Apache break into the Amen and back with bits of funky drummer and other familiar Jungle breaks thrown in for good measure, all keeping the listener engaged throughout.

A solid debut on Dispatch and a great release to have under the belt, ZeroZero have hit the mark here and to have a strong collab with Nymfo to boot. They can be very happy with this first outing on one of the biggest players in the scene.