London duo Mount Kimbie are ready with their debut album Crooks & Lovers after having released a couple of EPs on British dubstep label Hotflush. Dominic Maker and Kai Campos have also caused some stir with their excellent remixes, and they sound nothing like their peers. They have an indie approach to their electronic beats, and in a world of shifting sounds they’re already defining “post-dubstep”. They have more in common with Dilla, Four Tet or Boards of Canada than the UK bass scene, but the fractured and manipulated vocals have remained intact.

Opener “Tunnelvision” blends children playing and guitar plucking under a shuffling beat and the use of echo makes it sound like chamber dub. “Would Know” follows with sampled crowd noise and voices, and it’s repeated patterns plays out like diced-up r&b, fragmented house and muffled dubstep all in the same song. “Before I Move Off” is a strong minimalistic and hypnotic track, with just some guitar, high pitched soulful female voices, Four Tet drums and Matthew Herbert style sampling. “Blind Night Errand” has the wobbly sub-bass of Mr. Oizo, but stays simple and never goes off. “Carbonated” is a highlight; it moves in to more of club landscape building with blips and beeps and heavy synths but it never climaxes. Instead it turns into a light and almost Balearic melody with the soothing sound of rain along with soulful samples. “Ruby” is atmospheric and desolate, industrial and post- apocalyptic in the vein of Burial. “Field” shares the same industrial soundscape; it starts with rhythmic and pulsating sounds pumping like a train, then the minimal production transforms to post-rock guitar samples and a bouncing beat, without falling of track. “Mayor” has a galloping beat, bouncing bass and wobbling synths. It’s a hybrid of lush house and aggressive UK bass, with helium-style backwards female voice samples and repetitive elements. Closing track “Between Time” has simple acoustic drums and guitar, reminiscing The xx with shy vocals and echoing production.

Mount Kimbie has an unclassifiable hybrid sound, evolving on the side of glitchy house, hip hop beats and dubstep, drenched in ambient soundscapes. You’ve never heard anything like this; their style is heavy and gentle, organic and processed at the same time, with no fuzz and gimmicks. Crooks & Lovers is a coherent and compact record, clocking in at 36 minutes of ambient joy.

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