Massacooramaan's debut EP, Dead Long Time, is out now on Kingdom's label Fade To Mind. A family bristling with new talents and a blemishless catalog, FTD's latest offering continues in its tradition to push "sad, sexy, and scary" dance music. Dave Quam - writer, DJ, and producer - enters the fray with a four-tracker* that houses grenades in a diamond shell: chiseled weapons unearthed from a jungle mine, bloody and priceless. 

The EP's title track loops a frenetic hook through a gauntlet of crystal claps, shattered glass, and weighted mallets the size of King Kong's knuckles. Quam's detailed and unique sample treatments sound fresh compared to his many peers, a veritable "Dance Mania next to music concret[e]" that few others dare embrace for the comfort of a solid Roland. Even when it sounds like Massacooramaan's producing-by-the-numbers (A2, 'Aww Shit!' ft. DJ Rashad), all it takes is a flip of the record for a second dose of ingenuity.

'Jumble Yelp' twists bits of (what sounds like) a field recording of the Amazon river into a humid, incessant riddim. Again, Massacooramaan handles this mix like a butcher does knives: sharp and precise sounds envelop the mix and fuel a flurry of patterns that'll make heads spin right off. I don't think you'll catch this track in a club anytime soon, but it deserves a spot on any forward-thinking mixtape that hits around 160bpm.

The strongest track is the EP's closer, 'Dancehall Princess.' Featuring a wicked Dancehall hook, sonic squiggles, and storming war drums, the tune's unlike anything I've heard. Hearing the song's progression for the first time will intimidate you, and I'll leave it at that. Massacooramaan taps into uncharted territory, where intricacy meets colossus, violence finds a groove, watercolor drowns in boiled oil...and we're all better off for it.

*this review concerns the physical release. both 'Wijd' and 'Bludgeon Riddim' are dope and streamable above, but they did not feature on the vinyl release.