A look at Subp Yao's 'Sum Output' EP

Subp Yao is a bass heavyweight hailing from the Netherlands. Not only a producer and DJ, but also the founder of electronic music event 'Depth'. Having released on Saturate, DIVISION, Renraku and many other labels, he's back for an EP with MethLab Recordings.

Subp Yao continues his signature pounding sound, this time exploring the territory of 140 BPM. This EP is a funky mixture of Dubstep, Grime and Halftime. You'll enjoy this release if you dig beat-driven bass music with industrial rawness and uncompromising versatility. Let's get into it...

Lock Off

The EP starts off with an eerie atmosphere, announcing the intense release to come. The drop is fairly rhythmic, slow and kind of tribal. Married with a subtle bass that allows the drums to dominate the track, electronic noises and bleeps add texture, but most elements are there to further the crunch of the beat.

Don't count on a lot of melodic content. Instead, Subp Yao prefers atmosphere and tense pads to enhance the punishing feel.

Imatuk

Next is a more rolling track. Bursting off in a rattling hi- hat pattern. Slowly a vocal sample announcing the madness to ensue. The drop pounds with a nasty distorted bass, which modulate along with the beat. Of course, Subp Yao signature crunch only adds to the heaviness. The track uses its pounding groove to the max inserting and eliminating different textures like percussion and FM growls. A melodic switch-up gives the listener a moment to catch breath, followed by another avalanche of crushing rhythms.

Smoke trees

This track hits the old skool dubstep vibe really well. Instead of relying on the classic drop, Subp Yao wields sparsity to make a very cool transition. The two-step beat and the wobbling bassline create a hypnotizing groove, along with some crunchy blips and delayed percussion. Every so often the track switches up into a more nasty, bass driven version for a few bars or so. Delightful!

Sum Output

The final track of this release seems to be the most melodic one, featuring a dub-from-the-future synthline. Crunchy percussion and industrial textures contrast this vibe until the drop ignites a throbbing rhythm. The crunchy, distorted bassline reigns supreme here, being modulated and twisted along the track. The amount of noise is very ardent here but still Subp Yao manages to keep it detailed and not overtly harsh. The intensity of the track reaches it peak with a psychotic switch-up full of warped sounds.

Conclusion

The EP proves Subp Yao proficiency in bass production. All of the four tracks pack banging rhythms and interesting sounds, distinguished enough for diversity's sake but coherent enough thanks to the producers signature touch. Sum Output firmly demonstrate the power of 140 BPM, where there is still a lot of ground to be covered.