Of the eighteen cuts on the first volume of Cohesive Music's 'Cohesive Sounds' series, four tell most of the story. The heaviest name lands late in the running order: 'Mudskipper', a collaboration between Philth and Dunk. Philth is Phil Robinson, a London producer and Dispatch Recordings regular who had already passed one hundred productions by 2017 and released his debut album 'Moments In Time' in 2019 at the suggestion of Dispatch boss Ant TC1. Landing a profile like that on volume one of a brand-new series says plenty about the label's ambitions: his cut sits in F minor over the 87 BPM pulse that rules the record — the half-time reading of the genre's canonical 174 — and works as the compilation's credibility anchor.
Three escapes from the metronome
'War Torn' by Garzia is the boldest bet in terms of runtime: 5:36, nearly a full minute longer than anything else here, in A-flat minor. On a compilation of tight durations — several tracks don't even reach four minutes — that extra margin makes it the one piece with real room to unfold.
'Grey Signal' by NRT:K is the sharpest drop: tagged at 65 BPM in F major, it slams the brakes right at the record's midpoint, a halt that 'Spark it' (Leks and Silloh, at 133) reverses immediately on the next track. The close belongs to 'Gang Signs' by Skulder & Mully: 116 BPM in D-flat minor to send off a record anchored to 87 almost throughout. Between the opener 'Coyote' (Serpnt with MAE 917, E minor) and that off-grid ending, Cohesive Music sketches its first volume with one clear rule and its calculated exceptions: sign a seasoned name for the middle of the record and save the surprises for the edges of the tempo.
Sources: DJ Mag · Drum & Bass UK