The Panamax Project - Maximum Height / Maximum Width

a. Maximum Height
b. Maximum Width

Tourists. We all hate them. But they often bring fresh perspectives to tired landmarks. Last time a friend visited me in New York City, he said he wanted to go to Empire State Building. I laughed, but it ended up being one of the best days out in a long time. There's an easy parallel within music as well. With plenty of cross-pollination between genres and tempos currently taking place, once familiar views are getting reflected through wildly different eyes. Ikonika, for instance, brings a hardcore (punk, not UK) past to the table. Shed, heard here under the name The Panamax Project, takes inspiration from his love of techno and dub.

On "Maximum Height," though, it's hip-hop that seems to carry the most weight. Its detuned in the same way as a Joker tune, but all dried out with none of the electrifying purple stuff that the Bristol-based producer adds to the mix. That's no trouble, however, as you gradually begin to hear the coiled anaconda of a melody unfurl itself over the course of its length. Light synths provide minor uplift, but it's these grainy bits that star (along with the hearty bassline) and keep your ears wondering where they'll go next.

"Maximum Width" perhaps unsurprisingly recalls the previous Sub Solo's Panamax remix of "10001B." That same cutting snare pops up again, but this time its in service of a wobbly 140 BPM groove that seems almost seasick. The little gurgles of static caught between the drum hits do little to make you comfortable, but that's the point: It's a little bit like seeing something you thought you knew pretty well for the first time...www.residentadvisor.net