Testament to the globality of 170 Drum & Bass as we now know it that such a unique, spellbinding release can emanate from the Danish heartland of all places, a wonderful triumvirate of artist, label, and Kasper Pyndt’s icy, conservatist artwork.

Whilst it’s true that this seventh release in TEAL’s catalogue of genre-crossing, quirky beats is no newfound pairing of the two, Tobias Pedersen aka Beastie Respond’s fourth appearance on the label – the sampler to his forthcoming debut LP Fictitious Nostalgia – represents the zenith of his artistic reach in his bare yet intriguing career so far, and a clear triumph for the Copenhagen-based label who has nurtured such an obvious talent since his 2011 debut – a pair of signature Autonomic tracks back when the moniker was still an active one in the form of ‘Syncopy’ / ‘We’ve Seen You Through’ [TEAL003].

In my humble opinion the release’s A-side is exactly that: Beastie Respond’s hallmark subtle-engagement combined with the new-age 80s throwback aesthetic that has become more and more prominent not only from a musical perspective (casting promiscuous glances towards such talented artists as Lapti and Grum), but also within popular film, looking particularly at the wildly successful if emotionally lacking Drive and its glossy reflection of sleazy, glamorous neonlight society made all too transparent by its melodically vibrant soundtrack. ‘UL90’ represents your more typical headnodding affair, its sparse arrangement laced with flickering synth stabs and airtight percussive elements, drifting on the precipice of anger whilst still retaining the core retro-futurism of the sampler as a whole. In a similar vein, the B-side’s second track ‘Jetliner’ assumes the role of ‘UL90’s louder, 808-laden brother, introducing widescreen arpeggios to those familiar plucking synths from the former as an altogether more arresting alternative to Wait For Me’s soothing intimacy.

Referring to the single’s lead track and without taking away from the strength of the sampler as a whole, I can vouch for the fact that occasionally a solo piece of music comes along that just sits perfectly in your lap, saying ‘yeah, I am exactly what you wanted right now, right?’ I can give no higher praise to this release simply because I can write such a glowing review without having ever heard the song in its entirety, as I’m sat here typing at my laptop in the comfortable knowledge of Alia Fresco’s every word and all the teasing musical elements in-between. Hearing ‘Wait For Me’ open Loxy’s CX:21 Part 1 has hence made that podcast my most listened to of 2012, the recipient of an innumerable amount of plays, and it’s an even rarer case when a release I’ve fallen for actually grasps my attention now just as much as the first time, all these many months later. To quote Nat King Cole, ‘after you get what you want, you don’t want it. If I gave you the moon you’d grow tired of it soon.’ Thank God in the rarest of cases we don’t have to take such a sweeping statement too literally.

Beastie Respond’s Fictitious LP Sampler is out now.

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