Ufaze - Hole [Slow Process]

Slow Process

£12.58

Format: 12" EP
Catalogue No.: SLOW1
Release Date: 24 Feb 2023
Genre: Electro, Electronic, Techno

Following sporadic appearances on compilations and unreleased tracks recently popping up in the arsenals of multiple heavyweight selectors, Hole (SLOW1) is the forthcoming record by newly self-appointed label boss, perennial underachiever, and reality shirker Ufaze. With 10 years in the UK music scene in one form or another, this - as some who know may well argue - criminally overlooked producer, composer and multi-instrumentalist has a back catalogue of audio work under a few other names which we won’t mention for now.

This, his latest record, was made during periods of respite from a seemingly neverending bad trip of setbacks and personal troubles. Slow Process proudly brings you these 4 electronic musical tracks as its inaugural release, chiefly intended for club use - though anybody is free to enjoy them wherever and however they please, if they please.

While this release may end up falling somewhat foul of the blanket genre label of “electro”, (possibly due in no small part to the involvement of a certain remixer), none of the basic hallmark 808 drums and rhythms coupled with done-to-death bass and blip sequences are present here. Though loose known frameworks of the electro genre linger, Hole is a dark and unusual club track reminiscent and befitting of its title. The track’s primary components include brutal percussion, bizarre chopped up arpeggio lines, deep sub bass, samples from old Disney Sci-Fi flicks... It’s a hard-hitting introduction to this record, and the wider sound and direction of Ufaze and Slow Process.

The frantic pace shows no signs of diminishing as we bring in a man who needs no introduction, Detroit kingpin DJ Stingray 313 on remix duty, serving a hard-edged industrial take on the title track to finish off side A in style.

Side B ramps up the tempo even further and introduces a bit more weirdness and intricacy, with two more cuts straddling lines between eccentric electro and drum & bass. J03 and Dereliction Zone deliver more decidedly non-cliché drum sounds and patterns, more wild melodic sequences, more movie and TV sound clips and cinematic atmospherics. Not exactly uncharted territory in the making of electronic music, you might think. But it’s done in such a way here as to captivate, and offer alternatives for DJs, clubbers and listeners jaded with swathes of generic electro and techno.

As mentioned previously, this record will likely be filed under “electro”. But much as there are clear influences of the Detroit and Germanic varieties, there’s an unmistakable air of the UK throughout this release. Ufaze has paid homage, and combined influences to forge a bold and original sound, daring to be different and stand apart from many contemporaries. This may come at the expense of dismissal by some DJs merely looking to fill out their sets with safe, bland assembly line tracks. However, Hole is the meticulously crafted sound of a producer reinvigorated, hungry and taking big steps towards the top of his game.