Hebbe - Numina EP [OVD003]
Everyone starts their new year in their own way. Some people party. Some people get all self-reflective. Me? I started off the new year by throwing a seemingly never-ending stream of bank notes at my computer screen every time I saw a new Hebbe release pop up. Headland’s flip of the seminal ‘Mad Hatter’ now sits securely in my record bag, ready to lock off the rave at any time but the bank notes haven’t stopped streaming. Now it’s time to grab a copy of the Numina EP, dropping on Overdue in the not so distant future! [Pre-order link below]
Hopefully you’ve already heard of Overdue by now, but if you haven’t then all you really need to know is that they’ve already put out two sick releases; one from Zygos and one from Dalek One. These have all come out in fairly rapid succession as well, it doesn’t seem that long ago since I was reviewing the debut release over on Trusik! It definitely makes sense for Hebbe to land a release with Overdue, one of the scene’s rising stars on one of the scene’s rapidly rising labels, very poetic.
Switching things up, Overdue have recently made the decision to transition from a vinyl-only label to multi-platform releases. This definitely isn’t a bad move. There have been a few indications from a number of vinyl-only platforms that they may be making the leap to digital in 2019. Only time will tell.
Let’s get to the riddims. Staying true to form this three track EP hits all those dark frequencies, whilst still oscillating your chestplate in different ways. The beauty of the three-track format is that it’s able to really highlight the variation in an artists’ sound. The titular ‘Numina’ growls its way into your headspace, making heavy use of those mid-range frequencies to stimulate a slightly more aggressive skank. Contrast this with ‘M1’, a collaboration with Nosa, and you’ll see what I mean about variation. Drawing a lot more on the sub frequencies, M1 summons that slightly more demonic aesthetic, a truly evil meditative number designed for the deepest and darkest of dancefloors.
‘Fingerprint’ bridges the gap between the two. Those guttural growls prominent in ‘Numina’ are there as are the introspective sub frequencies of ‘M1’. Adopting a slightly more steppas-esque bassline, the track is undoubtedly a groover. Expect to hear this one slapping up the dance in the near future.
Hebbe - Fingerprint [Juan Forté Premiere]