Scuba: Claustrophobia | Album Review

From dubstep definers to house swingers and techno thumpers, Paul Rose’s work has been both canny and distinctive.

His Hotflush label has always been a key indicator of shifting moods and perceptions in the underground, but it’s his releases as Scuba which are the most insightful.

Like Personality and Triangulation before it, Claustrophobia is a document of where his head at, an album recorded after a period of illness took him off the touring circuit.

These circumstances might explain the introspective, dark and moody vibes which colour the tracks.

He's still got a gut sense of what moves on the dancefloor – Why You Feel So Low is begging for a sound system with exquisite bass tendencies – but his sound design instincts are also spot-on, with tracks such as Needle Phobia and Drift full of hypnotic drama.

[ hotflush-recordings.com ]