Pangaea - Pangaea EP

Artist: Pangaea

Title: Pangaea EP

Label: Hessle Audio

Catalog #: HES 010

Release Date: January 25, 2010

Rating: 8

The much anticipated Pangaea EP comes up big for young gun Kevin McAuley. This six track release will get play for the rest of 2010, and deservedly so. While still within the boundaries of the genre, Pangaea references old favorites in a modern context offering new twists and textures that expand on the now solid tradition of dubstep. 

The track “Why” starts the EP with a dancing organ and climbing bass. The vocals direct the song to a new harmonic juncture, from which it decays into open space and dissonance. These undulating hums, which are carried through the song by soft sine tones, explore emotion without distraction. Similarly, the third track, “5-htp”, plays with melodies that transform while simultaneously holding the rhythm. These songs ground the first half of the EP. They manage to keep the dubstep-formula fresh by morphing the chords and the melody in context.

My two least favorite tracks are “Sunset Yellow” and “Neurons”: each use all-too-familiar themes that take me out of the experience. “Sunset Yellow” has a strong beginning, Pangaea creates an unfamiliar atmosphere for the genre with synth pads that remind me of Boards of Canada. But where the other two songs’ morphs suggest a new perspective, the high arpeggio lead ruins it all for me. “Neurons”, on the other-hand, is one of those epic rhythm driven songs. The subharmonic rumbling and irreverent bass part have the funk to take me there. Unfortunately the semantic content of the vocal sample is a cliche in dance music by now.

“Dead Living” and “Because of You” are a huge ending for this release. I’m not going to give a play-by-play on these, because you have to buy this EP for those two tracks. Just know that the clap on “Because of You” will squish a new orifice into your dome. 

Pangaea has proved himself to us once again. But, now it is time for something new. It is time to stop bending the rules of dubstep, and start breaking them. This genre has experimenting at its roots but it has fallen into the predictable. It is time to redefine a movement, and this EP shows that Pangaea and Hessle Audio are ready.

-Non Curo

Tracks:

A1) Why

B1) Sunset Yellow

C1) Neurons

D1) Dead Living

D2) Because of you