Various Artists - Tectonic Sound
Tectonic stands tall as one of the primo sources for quality dubstep jams. Founded by Pinch 20 years ago, Bristol, Tectonic's birthplace, proved to be an ideal breeding ground for offbeat talent that would come to shape the sound of UK bass for years to come. Now, Bristol has always had a contentious relationship with the rest of the dubstep scene and dance music in general. With love, Bristol is an anomalous oddball in the ULK music scene. On one side, you have a massive black-country contingent, which, because of the accent, gets a bad rap for a perceived unwillingness to progress.
On the other hand, you have these fresh-faced upstart student types, radically left and fighting for peace and love. Somewhere slap dab in the centre of these two polar opposites sits a thriving electronic music community. Who would've thought this would be the perfect breeding ground for the lovable rogue Robert Ellis, operating under the alias Pinch?
Tectonic's sound drifted away from the Dubstep mainstream. Other legendary practitioners, like Coki, inspired a heavier dubstep offshoot, namely Tear Out, which capitalised on wickedly aggressive synths and sparse drumming, opting for vocal samples here and there, all an effort to blow the minds of the audience. Nor did Ellis channel Tectonic into ambient styles of bass popularised by labels such as Deep Heads or artists like Phaeleh, who tried to capture a deeper, more blissful sound. No, the Tectonic sound sat squarely in its oddball town, making its oddball music for its beautiful oddballs.
Tectonic Recordings sits closer to that original blend of pure Jamaican roots dub and a diverse array of world music. Many records feature bongos and 808s, echoing early footwork mixed with afrobeat long before the emergence of styles like trap music. Even its ideology was far from the norm in dubstep at that time. The music was way more playful. On the tear-out side, there was a technical pursuit, constant arms raised for something more chainsaw-like, a base with more grit or with more blood vessel basting energy. The other side appears to delve deeper, becoming darker, more cerebral, and even philosophical. Times are tectonic; they never really follow these pursuits. Instead, they look to make excellent music first, rather than focusing on self-seriousness. With many of Tectonic's releases, there's not much barrier to entry. Slap a few 808s in there, put some cool drums in, and you've almost cracked it, but where the magic was, where the spice appeared, was in its creativity. Rhythms, melodies, and everything in between just felt unfathomable. It felt like a bar of dubstep; its beauty was in its functionality.
This new compilation, entitled Tectonic Sound (2025), aims to encapsulate the current sound of the label, which, to be fair, hasn't changed much. Obviously, there have been advancements in ideas, but the court remains, and so too does the wall, which is remarkable. Tectonic sound includes a host of genres' favourites, including a dazzling futuristic arpeggio lead take on dubstep minimalist sound from Pevrelists 'Feel Something', the epic wobbles of a prehistoric landscape of 'Sunrise On The Superloop', courtesy of Re:ni.
The compilation has no fear of venturing into a broad sound range of palettes. The rising star Beatrice M delves into a more tribal sound with 'Poison', blurring the lines between Bristolian techno and a layer of delays, all while maintaining the sky-high energy. Speaking of techno is a testament to Pinch's music-forward philosophy, as the techno duo FJAAK steps up alongside J. Manuel with one of the Wildest tracks on the release, 'Blinder', an electro powerhouse that will even get the most defiant of "dubstep-only" lovers to dance. Not only that, but the industry legends also make an appearance with a very dub-techno effort for love break beats I see, since and rolling Subs that feel perfect past midnight or even just on the drive home.
Things can get truly weird when the main man himself steps up with Neffa-T. The pair keep things incredibly simple, or so you'd think. The track is a slow gallop full of proper nerdy rhythmic flourish, which on first listen sounds pretty out there. Constant stutters and an uneasy feeling created by intentionally sloppy time keeping can feel a bit off-putting, that is, until you get into the groove. That unsettled feeling should be expected with something quite as innovative as 'this is this isn't'. When the tea and pinch through staccato rhythms, Ipman throws everything at the wall to see what sticks. With 'Xenohypnostic Mind Control', Ipman pushes the grimy sound into a new territory with drums that sound like a base, creating odd industrialised soundscapes that capture the spirit of tectonic without sounding like anything you've heard before.
Pinch has taken some of the most abstract and ambient styles into consideration when compiling this album, which is somewhat surprising given that most of the other pieces are quite functional. Flora Yin Wong's 'Viagra' combines the classic deep dungeon minimal aesthetic with some quality sampling. The drum sounds more lined with garage than dubstep, while the Familiar synths echo in the background. Would motion light by the Nandos-loving Khan and Neek adventurer sound much more arid to the regular grime-infused output? Sombre and creeping atmospheres Envelop muted drums, creating a thick, haunting chill that pervades the whole track.
The number of legendary names lending themselves to this release is astounding, and even better, they all attempt to incorporate their sound into the tectonic style. Coki, whose records usually sound abrasive, brash, and in-your-face, but the track on this compilation proves that he's got a lot more in his locker than most people would chalk him down as having. Some wickedly subdued meditations on 'Gone W3st' by V.I.V.E.K, that sound much closer to his early work on Deep Medi. Jack Sparrow's iconic modulating basses float between soothing seafoam and wickedly destructive waves. Gemmy gives us some dank purple 8-bit revelry on 'Domino Effect' while one of the best 138 technician on the game 2562 lets loose with a silky 2-step track where tight syncopation and buttery synths ensure dancefloor appeal contrasting nicely with, DJ Distance, another proponent of an aggressive sound, doesn't attempt to temper his signature style, instead leaning into it on the track 'Heresy'.
It's safe to say that after 20 years, tectonic hasn't lost its edge. Whether it's due to sheer stubbornness or, like me, you believe their dedication to the unconventional sounds of dubstep has been the catalyst for their success, it's safe to say that they deserve time to leave a legacy. The label is a bastion of forward-thinking 2-step and a powerhouse of club chaos. Their ability to weave new artists into their rosters through fantastic selection while still giving legends a chance on this compilation shows a willingness to look backwards to move forwards.
Label: Tectonic Recordings (2025)
Various Artists - Tectonic Sound
