FOR BOOKINGS/PRESS/INFO CONTACT: snooks[at]niteshadeinc[dot]com
FOR SOUND & GRAPHIC DESIGN CONTACT: bassscapes[at]niteshadeinc[dot]com
Soundcloud: www.soundcloud.com/niteshadeincSnooks Twitter: www.twitter.com/snookssound
Bassscapes Twitter: www.twitter.com/bassscapes
Web: www.niteshadeinc.com
Reviews for NINC001:
The duo of Strago and Snooks abandon that primitive and cavernous dub sound for sleek aerodynamics as chords swell larger and larger over the horizon, bursting through as erupting pustules of putrid LFO. It's a level of "filth" that the midrange wobblers could only hope to achieve, partly because it only happens a few times in the track. "Kuru" feels like an unstable upgrade on classic Mala, with melodies stumbling and drums trembling so intensively that you fear (and hope) they will collapse in on themselves at any moment. Unabashedly modern but refreshingly backward-looking in its execution, the first release from Niteshade Inc offers an intriguing alternate answer—"right here"—to the always nagging "where next?" question.
Andrew Ryce, Resident Advisor
Dark, discordant bass heavy beats from the pairing of Straggo & Snooks. Both sides will appeal to fans of the dystopian minimal dubstep sound pioneered by the likes of Youngsta & Kryptic Minds as well more abstract strains of dubstep like Anstam & Shackleton for a pretty impressive first release for the Niteshade Inc. imprint.
Phonica Records
Darker debut of tribalist post-dubstep electronics from London's Niteshade Inc clan. Working in the template set by early Skull Disco and DMZ drops from Loefah, 'Kuru' leans on a concrete coated halfstep rhythm built with ritualist percussion and tense, brooding atmospheres. On the flipside 'Infect' is more electroid, stung with electric-blue pulses and opened out with chasmic bass drops and lashing, Ed Rush-like synth stabs. Darkside fiends: miss this at your peril. Tipped for fans of the Weevil series, Shackleton or Loefah!
Boomkat
The debut release on the newly formed label Niteshade Inc comes from duo Strago & Snooks, who marry the kind of brooding aesthetic that characterises artists like Mala and King Midas Sound with the forward thinking futurism of contemporaries such as Objekt. "Kuru" combines a cavernous sense of space and sub bass with a twisting techno-inspired synth line, utilising particularly robotic percussion patterns. "Infect" meanwhile fills much of its space with digital bleeps and tense pads, with a bassline that churns underneath, occasionally roaring through the mix. What really stands out about these tracks however is that despite their slightly mechanical nature there they feel genuinely alive, constantly surprising with the shifting elements.
Juno Records
Killer debut 12" of dark, heavy and ever-so-slightly techy dubstep with 'tribal' influences (think 'tribal' as in certain strains of African music, not any latter-day misappropriation of the term) from this up-and-coming London duo. Think of a way heavier and more atmospheric Skull Disco, or even some of the later T++ stuff, but definitely with a sound and vibe of its own. Recommended.
Second Layer Records
Strago and Snooks productions are not for the fainthearted.. at all!
RWD Magazine
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Reviews for NINC002:
The first release from Strago & Snooks on the Blackmarket Soho-based Niteshade Inc was two immaculate slices of digital tribalism, dubstep orthodoxy dressed up in techno sheen and mechanical shudder. The second release to roll out from the mysterious London duo isn't exactly a shocker, but it's at least a little different: sparer and spookier, these tracks strip down the already wan frame of "Infect" and "Kuru" to levels that expose the creepiest possibilities of dubstep.
"Pills" fashions its top-heavy swing so that it sounds like permanent rotation, slowly sweeping strings and Anstam-like percussive wallops layering together over a backdrop of distorted voices and what sounds like digitally-shredded samples of dogs barking. Like its name would imply, on the flipside, "Pot Stir" is all about steady percolation: waddling on a Skream-esque foundation of steady but snappy snares, the track's biggest moments seem to shatter into dazzling shards of micro-melody, twitching out into the abyss. It's cavernous, lumbering and sounds like it would be impossible to dance to: Yeah, in the world of dubstep, this is the good stuff.
Andrew Ryce, Resident Advisor
Darker underground dub-steppers from London's Strago & Snooks. A-side 'Pills' takes us right back to '06 with a dystopian sound on the edge of Breakstep and that 'ardcore 'alfstep twist, somewhere between vintage Toasty and Vex'd. Flipside 'Potstir' is more condensed, rolling, with suffocating waves of subbass harnessed by slow moving drums and electrified echo chamber FX. Worrying sh*t for fans of Kryptic Minds, the Weevil series, Youngsta, Loefah…
Boomkat
The second release from bass duo Strago & Snooks on Niteshade Inc! Crushing sub bass pressure, spacious half-time breaky beats and ghostly yelps. The suffocating rumbling bass and raw industrial sporadic beats remind us of Pinch & Shackleton!
Sounds of the Universe (Soul Jazz)
Strago & Snooks make a welcome return to the Niteshade Inc label, having impressed all with the Mala meets Objekt stylings of the imprint's debut release Kuru over the summer months. Lead cut "Pills" is particularly impressive, blending snappy, post-dubstep rhythms and melancholic, near apocalyptic chords with just the right amount of garage style vocal cut-ups. "Potstir" goes darker still, riding a wave of echo-laden dubwise drums, dubstep rhythms and paranoid atmospherics. While it lacks the dark/light fusion vibe of the immaculate A, it has enough about it to recommend further investigation. Besides, its heavy low-end pulse suggests it could be used to create serious dancefloor pressure.
Juno Records
Phonica
Second Layer Records
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Reviews for NINC003:
Dubstep is still alive and kicking, but a lot of it just isn't very interesting anymore. Niteshade Inc. was started two years ago in foundational London record shop Blackmarket when it pressed up two slabs of lithe white-label dubstep. It finally returns in 2013 with a third vinyl-only release from former drum & bass producer Strago, two tracks whose massive sense of scale sets them apart from their heavy-lidded contemporaries.
Recalling the glory days of Distance, "4117" balances precision drum hits with synth guitar and threatening wobbles, only instead of ham-fisted machismo we're suspended over a pitch black valley of reverb. Strago's grip on dynamics and tension is extreme even for dubstep, and the two tracks pull on the genre's thread of anxiety until the whole thing's a pulsating core of dread. Taking a relaxed back seat, on first listen "The Fort" is more trip-hop than dubstep. Only the very light reggae flourishes and the voracious LFO remind us which genre we're listening to, and that's probably why these tracks sound so fresh in the first place.
Andrew Ryce, Resident Advisor
Deep end dubstep straight outta L-o-n-d-o-n. Rooted firmly in the '06 aesthetic and buffed with up-to-date production, A-side launches the electro-licked halfstep lurcher '4117', and B-side bites down on a super menacing, slo-mo a technoid bomb 'The Fort'. Fans of nu skool players like Killawatt, Kryptic Minds, Biome should cop this.
Boomkat
The third instalment on London based label Niteshade Inc.
Slowed down, dreadnought halfstepping dubstep from Strago. Ghoulish atmospherics, and shockingly heavy bass action. Check.
Sounds of the Universe (Soul Jazz)
Sophisticated darkness
Mixmag
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Reviews for NINC003:
Dubstep is still alive and kicking, but a lot of it just isn't very interesting anymore. Niteshade Inc. was started two years ago in foundational London record shop Blackmarket when it pressed up two slabs of lithe white-label dubstep. It finally returns in 2013 with a third vinyl-only release from former drum & bass producer Strago, two tracks whose massive sense of scale sets them apart from their heavy-lidded contemporaries.
Recalling the glory days of Distance, "4117" balances precision drum hits with synth guitar and threatening wobbles, only instead of ham-fisted machismo we're suspended over a pitch black valley of reverb. Strago's grip on dynamics and tension is extreme even for dubstep, and the two tracks pull on the genre's thread of anxiety until the whole thing's a pulsating core of dread. Taking a relaxed back seat, on first listen "The Fort" is more trip-hop than dubstep. Only the very light reggae flourishes and the voracious LFO remind us which genre we're listening to, and that's probably why these tracks sound so fresh in the first place.
Andrew Ryce, Resident Advisor
Deep end dubstep straight outta L-o-n-d-o-n. Rooted firmly in the '06 aesthetic and buffed with up-to-date production, A-side launches the electro-licked halfstep lurcher '4117', and B-side bites down on a super menacing, slo-mo a technoid bomb 'The Fort'. Fans of nu skool players like Killawatt, Kryptic Minds, Biome should cop this.
Boomkat
The third instalment on London based label Niteshade Inc.
Slowed down, dreadnought halfstepping dubstep from Strago. Ghoulish atmospherics, and shockingly heavy bass action. Check.
Sounds of the Universe (Soul Jazz)
Sophisticated darkness
Mixmag
