Fallen Tree by Dubrunner

Dubrunner continues to shape out a vital, modernist slant on the soundsystem tradition with this second drop on his label Menace. In keeping with the approach set out on 2023’s Ruthless EP, his firm foundation of steppas, dub and digi is a springboard for explorations of broader club styles, taking in elements of breakbeat hardcore, techno and plenty more besides.

Fallen Tree builds on the promise of his debut with four further meditations. Lead single ‘Shangdao’s Revenge’ is a monolithic, moody half-stepper electrified with dub techno chord shimmers and elastic breakbeats, and spaced out with deep wells of atmospheric processing.

‘Fallen Tree’ locks into a tight 4/4 march driven by detailed percussion, with a classic steppas bassline, off-beat chord chops and distant melodica touches paying tribute to hugely influential UK steppas pioneers Alpha & Omega and their apocalyptic cut ‘Ground Is Shaking Dub’. The presence of log drums remind you Dubrunner is bringing his own fusions to the table, drawing on the amapiano explosion as fuel for this hybridised fire.

‘Overruled’ strikes a more forthright, political tone, as Dubrunner foregrounds his values in a fierce statement against the oppressive systems of state control, capitalism and racism. The vocal samples come from Sankara Future Dub Resurgence, whose focus is on Africa’s defiance of its colonial history. The taut, high-definition construction around the message takes its cues from the explosive sonics heard at Darwin’s bassweight REEF sessions in Berlin.

The breakstep lead-in on ‘Pressure’ tells you to prepare for a drum-focused workout, and that’s precisely the approach Dubrunner takes as he chops up the percussion and maintains a light-footed impact in contrast to the broad, cinematic heft of the other tracks on the EP. It’s a potent demonstration of the versatility in the Dubrunner sound, while still maintaining that grounded sense of soundsystem meditation which courses through everything he turns out.

Menace INTL //
Stretchy Dance Supply