TuneLab
SCUBA b2b OR:LA in the Hotflush takeover in The Lab LDN
A Hotflush takeover in The Lab LDN with SCUBA b2b OR:LA—because nothing says 'we take our bass seriously' like two masters of dubby, atmospheric techno sharing decks. The vibe is dark, humid, and cerebral, all smoke machines and subtle strobes highlighting a crowd lost in the groove. They lock into a steady 127 BPM flow, overwhelmingly centered in the 12A key, creating a hypnotic, minimalist deep techno soundscape. Energy is heavily skewed toward the low-end, with sparse mid and high frequencies, allowing every sub-bass ripple and textured percussion hit to resonate with physical intensity.
Mixing is deep and layered, with long, overlapping blends that emphasize texture over melody, a masterclass in building tension through repetition and subtle evolution. Key modulations are rare, but when they occur—like shifts into 3B or 5A—they feel seismic, breaking the monotony without jarring the flow. Crate digs include the opening salvo of Gaetano C & DePandis's 'Saw', a raw, jacking track that sets the tone, and Scuba's own 'Rawww', a bleak, industrial-tinged weapon. Fade's 'All I Got' in Chris Fortier's dub mix is a deep house gem that adds warmth, while Pangaea's 'Bear Witness' is a sprawling, dubstep-inflected epic that showcases the set's range.
The Janitor's 'Cara De Gitana' brings a quirky, Latin-flavored rhythm, and Jimmy Edgar's 'This One's For The Children' is a glitchy, funky outlier. The journey from 'Saw' delves into shadowy techno territories, peaking with the immersive depth of 'Bear Witness', before closing on the atmospheric, almost spiritual notes of Candy Knievel's 'Spiritual'.