Martyn Odds Against Us

Martyn Odds Against Us
The last couple of years have seen Martijn Deijker (aka Martyn) reflect on his musical past. He released a compilation and an album that brought us back to his work of the late 2000s, when his music encompassed elements of various dance genres filtered through the dubstep and UK garage nodes. On top of that, he reanimated his 3024 label to release music that represents a stylistic continuation of his celebrated Fabric 50 from 2010.
The UK garage-inflected beats on Voids, his album released last year, seemed like a surprising addition to Ostgut Ton's catalogue, but the techno influences they contained were unmistakable, just as they were in Deijker's drum & bass production when he started his career.
"B.C. 2," from this new EP, transports us straight to these beginnings, wasting no time in laying down a tough and funky groove. It's a nice little number with clean production that comes alive when played at high volumes, but without the Detroit techno strings near the end, it would be entirely forgettable because of how derivative it is.
The pair that complete the trio of tracks are a much more rewarding listen. Deijker keeps the drum & bass sonic palette in "Odds Against Us," but slows it down considerably, resulting in a swinging two-step groove with heavy drums, an electric roar and spooky synths. The techno-influenced "Rhythm Ritual" hooks us immediately with its thumping, rolling beat, and uses quirky percussive fills to create a dizzying effect.
If Voids was a reflection of his musical past, then these two tracks represent a new direction for the producer while still keeping his old approach: focusing on rhythmic intrigue to create infectious dance music that isn't so easy to categorize. (Ostgut Ton)