Sub:liminal is Alex Cobe, a Drum and Bass producer who was born in Romania and began putting out music in 2020. His latest record, the Sub:liminal – Perspectives EP, is his first big solo release on the Four Corners label, and it comprises four atmospheric but hard-hitting tracks that evoke a late-night drive through the city, or the early hours of the morning spent in your favourite DnB club.
The Sub:Liminal – Perspectives EP kicks off with its title track, a dark, mysterious slab of Drum and Bass that uses an eerie recurring synth melody and sharp pulses of deep, grumbling bass to establish its after-hours atmosphere. Next up is Sideways, which has more of a retro-futurist feel on account of its heavier use of synth melodies. Those classic DnB beats still dominate, however, adding some continuity to the release.
The second half of the Sub:Liminal – Perspectives EP changes things up a bit, with both tracks being collaborations with two different artists. First there’s In Reach, which sees Sub:Liminal join forces with Oxford-based producer SOLR. Together these two artists create a track that is almost melancholic, with a lilting electronic melody permeating that overarching Drum and Bass instrumentation. Then there’s final track Floating, a collaboration with Scatterbrain. Despite its ethereal title, this is probably the track on the release that goes the hardest, its sped-up tempo complementing a heavier rhythm and a greater focus on darker liquid bass tones.
It’s no easy feat to come up with four tracks that have palpable continuity between one another as well as their own individual sound. However, Sub:Liminal has achieved this and more on his Perspectives EP, constantly propounding his love for Drum and Bass but also putting his own mark on the genre. On this release he shows himself to be an artist of both talent and versatility, and as such his work will surely appeal to the vast majority of Drum and Bass fans.Â
