a LAS & Mikael - Dem Break b1 LAS - Need Fire b2 Mikael - Drain It’s a pleasure to watch a quality artist’s work flourish over the years, and LAS’s time in the music game has been special. Ever since he broke through back in 2011, his tracks have been resolutely on point, displaying a compelling mix of different rhythms, ideas and system-ready bassweight. Now as we move into 2014, LAS has evolved into one of the heaviest underground producers out there bar none, and he marks his first record of the year in style with Innamind Recordings, a collaborative effort with his talented Finnish compatriot and friend, Mikael. Mikael himself has excited for a while now, especially with the free Innamind download ‘Dreaming’ released last month, and he has all the makings of someone ready to follow in the footsteps of LAS in leaving a lasting effect on dubstep and beyond. The release pieces together their absolutely deadly lead track, ‘Dem Break’, with solo tracks on the flip including LAS’s ‘Need Fire’ and Mikael’s ‘Drain’. All three tracks feature the barrages of low frequency pressure that we have come to expect from Innamind’s output, with the pure dread weight of the bassline on ‘Dem Break’ in particular forming a ‘speaker stack battering focal point, on top of which they build smoky atmospheres and minimal but effective percussion to keep bodies moving. On ‘Need Fire’, LAS crafts a mystical, surefire classic that combines subtle touches of melancholic melody with animated rhythms and floor-raising sub-bass, and on ‘Drain’ Mikael has built a no-nonsense, unashamedly heavy master class in proper soundsystem music.