Misanthrop / Phace – Viperfish (VIP) / Alive

Misanthrop / Phace – Viperfish (VIP) / Alive

A heavyweight late-2000s drum & bass 12" from two of the German scene's most respected producers, Misanthrop and Phace. Released on Subtitles Music as SUBTITLES 069, Viperfish (VIP) / Alive arrived in 2009 at a time when the label was at the forefront of the darker, more technical side of drum & bass.

Misanthrop's Viperfish (VIP) is a hard-edged neurofunk workout built around precision-engineered drums, heavy bass pressure and a distinctly futuristic production style. The track became associated with the emerging European techstep and neurofunk sound, and was subsequently featured by Noisia on their influential FABRICLIVE 40 mix, alongside productions from Phace, The Upbeats, Spor, Ed Rush & Optical and other major names from the harder end of the drum & bass spectrum.

On the flip, Phace delivers Alive, another dark and technically focused production that fits perfectly with the Subtitles aesthetic. Phace was already an important figure in the German drum & bass scene, with his work combining complex programming, aggressive bass design and futuristic electronic textures. Alive also appeared on Noisia's FABRICLIVE 40, underlining its place within the heavyweight European drum & bass sound of the period.

Misanthrop, the alias of Michael Bräuninger, would go on to become a key figure in German drum & bass and co-founder of Neosignal Recordings, while his productions from this era helped establish the detailed, high-impact sound associated with modern neurofunk. His Viperfish VIP was later included in The Early Years Anthology, which collects music he produced between 2004 and 2009.

For collectors of Subtitles Music, neurofunk, techstep and early European drum & bass, this is a particularly strong two-tracker. It captures the period when producers such as Misanthrop, Phace and Noisia were pushing drum & bass towards increasingly intricate sound design, heavier basslines and a distinctly futuristic club aesthetic.

Tracklist

Side A

1. Misanthrop – Viperfish (VIP)

Side B

1. Phace – Alive