- James Ruskin's Blueprint Records has had an awesome run since returning to the spotlight. The tempo has taken a slight drop, but the pressure remains; there is no compromise in purity. Like Ruskin, Paul Mac, AKA Valmay, has been plugging away since the early days of the UK scene, and this is obvious to listeners of Blueprint both new and old; there are no cheap tricks here. "Radiated Future" is stripped, dark, subliminal and a prize chapter to the Blueprint saga.
The acid tinges are a natural element to these records, rather than a theme to be worked in. The bass is functional and bruising, the elements carefully measured and the drum programming perfectly timed to work the dance floor, not to disrupt it. "Radiated Future" is the most restrained in tempo. It builds a thick and heavy fog that emulates early morning, heady experiences; it's simultaneously soothing and damaging, a twisted slice of dance floor art. The vocals at the end spell a future of unpunished murder, food shortage and explosions shaking the earth. The end as we know it.
"Old Dog" is accomplished Valmay minimalism. It rises and falls perfectly to eat into your consciousness, never peaking or dropping out, but maintaining a nice amount of pressure throughout. "Distrust" picks the feet up a little more. Marching hats and a bubbling bass shuffle you along with a little funk in the flow. The switches are timely: "Distrust" shifts from page-to-page keeping you interested and open. It's likely the pick for DJs, with the only criticism being that it's perhaps not long enough. Mac could have easily run this for a couple more minutes, and allowed a little more intensity to creep in as well. That's a mere quibble though: This is yet another solid Blueprint and will no doubt pound dance floors worldwide.
Tracklist A Radiated Future
B1 Old Dog
B2 Distrust