On the Cave EP, British-born DJ Spor gifts us four tracks of hard-hitting, spine-tingling drum & bass.
After two-years years off focusing on his alter ego Feed Me, Spor returns to drum & bass and the Mau5trap label with his first new music under this moniker since 2020’s Anachronic EP.
“Let Me Be”, the opening track, is a perfect tone-setter. Its hard-hitting classic D&B sound is relentless across the track, and the EP. Atmospheric refrains pop up throughout but the tempo never drops as this pulse-raising opener perfectly exemplifies why people fell in love with Gooch’s music in the first place; buzzing bass, pounding rhythm and contrasting atmospherics playing off against the thumping centrepiece of the track.
“Hatchet” is much the same, beginning with floating choral vocals the track quickly transitions into classic Spor D&B where the listener has no room to breathe for the controlled maelstrom of noise. Gooch’s breaks on the song are as fresh as they were on his debut, his two-year break evidently showing creative dividends. It also gives us an indication of the level of virtuosity Gooch possesses where he can just jump back in the game every couple of years and put out a set of tracks that sound like a D&B blueprint, especially considering he has been producing works in different genres entirely in the time since.
“Throw Down Let Go” is more of the same but the true highlight of the EP is “Hatfield Tunnel”. The final track is also the perfect distillation of Spor’s frenetic vision. The track builds tension expertly like a coiled spring ready to break as you can practically feel yourself running whilst listening to it. For Spor’s second Mau5trap release it is the perfect embodiment of what he is all about and why it is so great that he is back.
Saint Audio 