2562: Unbalance

For all of Dub music's weaknesses (repetition, simplicity, longevity) there are certainly a handful of artists that have managed to strike a balance between its mix of heady bass-lines, glitchy electronic spams and heaving instrumental tones.

2562 (known in real life as Dave Huisman) is Netherlands best attempt at the finicky genre and whilst he gained a heap of attention for his excellent début Aerials, the man has decided on taking his sound to new and unstructured heights with his latest and second offering, Unbalance.

He's still the same musician and he's still using some of the same tools as last time round (you can hear it in the production and tinny build-ups mostly) but he's got a lot more drive than before, willing his beats further harder than before; sometimes for the positive but equally for the negative. It works well in a lot of cases, circling the realms of dub-step, dance and glitch electronica over the course of an hour but it's major downfall is how the record carries it's load as a whole.

First real song of the album, track two Flashback is fantastic for the first listen, mostly enjoyable on the second listen and then openly too long and drawn out on the third, solidifying the aforementioned longevity problem with this type of music. There's only a few of these hiccups to be seen over the course of the twelve songs but it's hard to ignore such an early misstep. 

There's always a specific time for Dub music and if it's not in a hazy room full of friends then it's usually best suited to late-night headphone sessions. It's no surprise then that Unbalance is definitely suited to a dark, night-time environment and a decent pair of headphones, even if it is more upbeat and energetic than it's looser forbearer.

Dinosaur works on a sun-baked loop with twisting, warped electronica wrapped around it like a blanket. It touches on Flying Lotus and similar ilk but it's distinctively 2562 in it's soul. It's probably the least European flavoured of the bunch but it certainly proves Huisman's ability to open up his sound without sacrificing personality. The same can be said for the frenetic, scattered pace of Yes / No and Love In Outer Space's house-y, American West-Coast beat. Again, it's smothered with old-school garage and trance notions but it's got a soul of pure European electronic flair and it's just enough to throw a welcomed lick of paint on to a stuttering genre.

It's by no means perfect and it's most likely too lengthy for some but when the right occasion calls for it, there's not many that can match 2562's continued left-wing approach.