Two shell: EP icons

Compared to the frenetic pace and textures of the recent jungle release “Home”, iconsFive tracks at the beginning sound almost solid. There are lots of sped-up vocals and zippy synths, but the rhythms are more measured, the structures more streamlined, the beats more in line with the last decade of UK bass-heavy techno. Joy Orbison's 2009 game-changing single “Hyph Mngo” is their obvious lodestar. you can hear it almost verbatim in the hiccuping vocal loop of opener “Ghosts” and the rippling synths of “Pods,” which follows. While it's not an obscure choice—no song did more to signal the end of the dubstep era and the beginning of the amorphous stylistic free-for-all that followed—it's been a while since someone so diligently noted the ecstatic qualities of the song. Virtually every element of it icons feels designed to reproduce the dizzying rush of the nightclub at its most exciting, when a new sound digs its claws into you for the first time.

Two Shells are master tension handlers. “Ghosts” continues to soar, promising release and then pulling the rug as the towering pillar of synths collapses in a chilling heap. “Dust” uses a lively stuttering effect to emphasize its pulse-raising intensity. “Pods” is even more black and white, running an indistinct vocal sample through a tiny metal filter that sounds like someone is screaming bloody murder somewhere deep in the guts of the track.

But as complete as the music can get, they top it off with a kind of metaplastic flourish. “Pods” stops halfway through to make way for a song computer voice recording database commands. “Calling the digital rock star,” he shouts, and is quickly answered by an ersatz electric guitar. The relatively linear and groovy “Dust” is repeatedly interrupted by the voiceover of an Android flight controller, recalling similar games from Drexciya, Daft Punkand DJ Koze's trio International Pony. “Memory” makes the most extensive use of these consciously digital textures. His melancholy Vocaloid-inspired song could have come from a folder of unused computer music stems. All these additions have the effect of negating any possible self-seriousness. the hits may be heavy, but the mood is as light and frothy as Cool Whip.

The last song, “Mainframe”, breaks with the lithe rhythms and jubilation of the previous four tracks. A mid-tempo breakbeat tune with marble streaks of acid bass, it's a pretty clear homage to the elaborate big beat sound of the late 90s, right down to the scratchy turntable effects. Trapped by the halftime beat and its sticky middle, it's the only song on the EP that never really takes off, but the style, at least, is entirely in Two Shell's character. Armed with heart-pounding beats, sardonic wit and the fairy dust of a sneaky grown-up sample, they're clearly intent on reclaiming British dance music's lineage at its boldest and bravest, taking their place alongside iconic duos like the Chemical Brothers and the KLF. It's not there yet, but icons suggests they have a very good chance at it.