Martyn: All I Have Is Memories / Suburbia (Applepips) - 12"
Appleblim & Peverelist: Over Here (Remixes) (Applepips) - 12"

Im a sucker for laser-cut stenciled designs and this new label from Appleblim (he of Skull Disco fame) has a striking emblem on their 12"s. Aesthetics aside, these two 12"s demonstrate dubstep's ever-increasing kinship with techno. Both sharing a fanatical obsession to sub-bass and low-end kicks. Current 'man-of-the-moment' Martyn (circa tail end of 2008) starts off healthily with 'All I have...'. Echoed soulful refrains, punctuated with submerged breaks, all served up with a menacing, out-of-earshot b-line of course.

But it's the second 12" that really startles. Two cuts of prime cut dub techno that sounds like it's straight from the vaults of Berlin as opposed to Bristol. Which makes sense as the two remixes here are actually by Brendon Moeller, having worked on his dub techno credentials by releasing umpteen records under a myriad of aliases. The A-side easily trounces anything that the prolific Echospace / Deepchord lot released this year. Whilst the B-side shifts the dub into emotive housier territory with equally accomplished results.

Broker / Dealer: Soft Sell EP (Spectral Sound) - 12"

One of the few house acts I'll actually get excited about, San Francisco's Broker / Dealer dabble in the deeper end of the 4/4 spectrum. Awash with beguiling rhythm, deft chord work and drenched in a hazy dub that can only recall the warmer seasons. It's not to say that this is dreamy Ibiza fodder, there are far too many clever turns and tricks going to soundtrack cliched beach activity. The title track initially darts and weaves microscopic melody around a classic bassline, before taking us down darker alleys. Thomas Fehlmann adds his trademark bounce to it all, snares to the fore and dub echo play and a nice sense of tension. Smartly makes up for the lack of a summer here in the UK.