Mala In Cuba Brownswood ****

Part of the Digital Mystikz crew from the outset, dubstep pioneer and sage Mala headed to Cuba last year to work with Gilles Peterson on the BBC DJ and Brownswood label honcho's Havana Cultura project. What he heard while hunkering down in Havana inspired Mala to see if he could join the dots between the bass culture that had schooled him and the spirited, traditional Cuban music that was all around him on the island. Making sense of this diverse sound clash has lead to Mala In Cuba, an album of deep, intricate rhythms and powerful, vivid soundscapes. It's a neat balancing act, too, with both sides of the experiment smartly in tune: neither the waves of fierce bass nor the sweeter, lighter Cuban swing drowns out the other side. Inside, from the jazzy, brassy Calle F to the slinky, sultry ripples of Mulata, Mala creates a rolling, masterful blend of quite adventurous sounds. malaincuba.com

Download tracks: Mulata, Calle F