THE UNTOUCHABLES — Juju Man EP

Samurai stalwarts The Untouchables step up with a taut transmission of sinister steppers cast in their signature style. On Juju Man EP, Kate McGill and Ajit 'Nitrox' Steyns wield negative space to push their sonic agenda, letting the drums hit harder around each precisely rendered slither of icy ambience.'Le Dark' tells it all in its stark title, plotting a course straight into the underworld with subliminal atmospheric rumbles, discordant string trails and disembodied Reese snarls. Maintaining the monochrome palette of the opener, 'Ya See Me' pivots around a low slung dembow kick pattern and tap-dripping triplets that create a head-turning groove cast in steel and stone. Even the organic roll of hand-drummed percussion on 'Digi Tabla' can't break the pervasive gloom of the bass swells and oppressive dub processing that colour the space around the beats. 'Such Devastation' plays on classic darkside synth licks and speech samples, conjuring the eerie tension before the drop without ever releasing from the simmering pressure of the broken kick pulse.Since first coming through nearly 20 years ago, The Untouchables have set out their stall as peerless purveyors of darkly seductive half-time rollers. But even by their standards Juju Man EP pushes their sound deeper and further into the murkiest corners of the dance.