Glacial Sound Mix For The Astral Plane

If you’ve been following the deluge of “new wave” grime round-ups in recent months, the name Glacial Sound will be quite familiar at this point. Often lumped in with fellow upstart outposts like Goon Club Allstars, Coyote Records and Liminal Sounds, the Dublin-based imprint only has two releases to its name to date, but label-head Paul Purcell has flipped a keen eye for talent and an adoration for vinyl into a groundswell of UK and international support. Launched last June via Rabit’s now scene-defining Double Dragon EP, Glacial Sound is nominally a grime label, but if you’ve spent any time with the aforementioned Rabit release or Murlo’s highly touted Last Dance EP, you’ll know that Purcell’s vision far surpasses anything that could traditionally be dubbed grime. Double Dragon is a spacious effort that derives much of its sound palette from Wiley’s Devil Mixes, but exists in a protean universe of wildly twisting melodic content that defies its influences. Hailing from Houston, Rabit exists far from grime’s epicenter, but has managed to funnel some of its most left-field elements into a final product that eschews the more stultified components of the original product.

Whereas Rabit has developed and maintained a sound that is mutually exclusive in its own right, Murlo has synthesized the bright sound palettes and skittering rhythms of Caribbean music like soca and dancehall into an ornate, fully original byproduct. More than just about any other producer, Murlo’s music, especially Last Dance, mirrors the multi-cultural, multi-denominational  nature of contemporary London.

Both Double Dragon and Last Dance have created a sustainable platform for Glacial Sound and the future seems bright with an upcoming Rabit & Logos white label in store. In a remarkably short time, Purcell has attained what most labels struggle over for years: an idiosyncratic identity. For Astral Plane Mix 018, we asked Paul to showcase Glacial Sound and to give our readers a taste of what he’s listening to at the moment. The result is a whirlwind journey through the kaleidoscopic sounds of London and grime’s various mutations. We also asked Paul what he likes to listen to when he’s on the go as there is a certain sense of movement (or lack thereof) that is inherent in the Glacial Sound aesthetic. Check out Paul’s addition to our guest mix series below and hit the jump for his on-the-go selections and track list.

Track List

Logos – Workstation Trax Vol. 1

Myth Vs. Ciara – Lonely Backseat Love (Rabit Blend)

Rabit & Neana – iPhone Smash

SPF666 – Tsundere

DJ Milktray – Hotel Backwards (Tom Lea Edit)

Trends – Green Forest (GRANDMIXXER Remix)

Logos – No Heartbeat

Mumdance – Springtime

Dark0 – Scyther

Slackk – Three Kingdoms

Shriekin’ Specialist – Red Beach (Devil Mix)

Myth vs Beatking – Air vs Throw That Ass (Rabit Blend)

William Skeng – Symbiotic Wetsuit Riddim

The Phantom – Earth Beat

Paul of Glacial Sound’s On-The-Go Selections

Murlo – FACT Mix

Meridian Crew – Sidewinder 

Lil Durk – Signed To The Streets

Logos – Cold Mission

Z Money – Heroin Musik

Oil Gang – Fabric Mix

Grandmixxer – Bundown Portable

Sicko Mobb – Super Saiyan Vol. 1