Wbeeza – Bagwag – Third Ear

Wbeeza first surfaced in 2008, around the time thatproducers were starting to put basslines back into their tracks and vowels backinto their names. His home label Third Ear had been holding the fort for realhouse music throughout the bleeps and blips of the minimal dominated 00s, withtracks like Carl Craigs all conquering remix of Theo Parrishs Falling Up from05 still sounding fresh as a daisy today.

Right from the first EP it was clear that the Peckhamproducer, still in his early 20s cared little about what was going on in thescene. The freshness in his productions began to breath life into a tired deephouse scene. Around about the same time bass music started an obsession with4/4 and during the last three years Wbeeza has captured the imagination of deephouse devotees to young bass heads alike.

Following Void, his debut full length, then the double AJackaboom last winter, the Bagwag EP sees Wbeeza maximise 12 format for thefirst time since the City Shuffle EP emerged in late 09. The underlyingsimplicity and the pure authority of his beats remains fully intact from hisfirst three EPs. Now Number four channelsWbeezas impetuous energy into four accomplished pieces that pack a punch andbegin to pick at the fabric of what makes him tick.

The highlight is the A2, Laying Here is all breezy keys andfloating vocals, but with an expertly sculpted low end that has already won theDJ support of the Hessle Audio crew. Thespace in the production allows its natural flow, with a loose, instinctive funkcoursing through the track. From the shakers down to the bass, the track isclinical without sounding cold. Heavier on the low end is the tough OneSolution, which is as single minded as the title suggests. With hints of thegrandeur that colours the productions of Carl Craig, the track builds andswells with a Detroit like majesty, showing enough reserve for the growlingbass to sit comfortably without imposing.

Flip the record over and the quality doesnt stop. CoastSpotting is a muscular, straight ahead DJ tool. Loopy and infectious, it hasbeen stripped down to its bare elements and is the most forthright track onpackage, taking no prisoners en route. Rounding off the package is Sad Places,a Latin tinged jam with some crazy samples, from crowd noise to insects, thetrack has a dreamy, psychedelic quality. Its purple around the edges, with thesame rawness and control that runs throughout the Bagwag EP.

The whole EP shows a producer coming into his own in termsof style and sound, pushing himself further away from the rest of the deephouse scene and beginning to explore his own musical realm. The four tracks arecut from his live show meaning the package is aimed squarely at the floor butdoesnt scrimp on the endearing details. Theres plenty of layers to explorehere as Wbeeza continues to have his say on the way house is headed.