- As serial collaborators and stars of other people's labels, it was only a matter of time before Logos and Mumdance struck out on their own. Perhaps the only major surprise with Weightless, the debut release on the duo's Different Circles, is that it doesn't feature the rave-ready collaborations the two have made their trademark. Instead it proudly titles a new micro-style, showcasing a collection of "beatless club tracks" that riff on the approach of Wiley's Devil mixes. This idea—of grime mostly gutted of percussive elements, so that its melodies can float freely in space—is one close to Logos' heart, of course. It's something he's explored extensively in his own music, and his contribution here, a Mumdance and Rabit collaboration titled "Inside The Catacomb," is the most sophisticated and compelling of the lot.
Elsewhere a veritable who's who of rising grime producers offer their spin on the idea. Most are stringently reductive, but the ideas they outline, while basic, are striking. Inkke and Murlo remind us that such an exercise need not be conducted in subzero temperatures: the Inkke's "Love Song" is almost obnoxiously perky, while on "Geist," Murlo's exuberant basslines, shorn of a rhythmic backbone, are delivered with a surreptitious smirk. Rabit's solo effort, "More Memories," is more conventionally frosty. There's something wonderfully calligraphic about the way its melodies are picked out against a cold, blackened backdrop. Finally, Dark0 offers up what is, by my count, the fourth version of his "Sweet Boy Pose" melody (if you include Mr. Mitch's "Peace Edit") in "Sweetboy Tears." Fair enough—it's a great melody. But this simple, beatless rendering, as with most of these tracks, feels like it's waiting for a skilled DJ to bring it to life.
TracklistA1 Mumdance, Logos & Rabit - Inside the Catacomb
A2 Inkke - Love Song
A3 Strict Face - Python Crossing
B1 Dark0 - Sweet Boy Tears
B2 Rabit - More Memories
B3 Murlo - Geist