Mala

𝘽𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙗𝙮 𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙜𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙙𝙚𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙙, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙧𝙚𝙛𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙤 𝙈𝙖𝙡𝙖’𝙨 𝟮𝟬𝟬𝟳 𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢 𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙤𝙣 𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙖𝙘𝙩, 𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠𝙚𝙙 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙖 𝙣𝙚𝙬 (𝙪𝙣𝙖𝙣𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙪𝙣𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙙) 𝘽-𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙘𝙪𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙮 𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙡 ‘𝙅𝙖𝙝 𝙋𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧 𝘿𝙪𝙗’ 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙪𝙧𝙮 𝙨𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙 𝙗𝙤𝙮𝙨 𝙙𝙚𝙖𝙙.

Ranking among the DMZ co-founder’s biggest platters, the OG ‘Changes / Forgive’ 12” was first issued as the 4th drop on Mala’s youthling Deep Medi Musik during dubstep’s banner year of 2007. It returns as the label’s fabled 100th cat # with one of Mala’s most sought-after VIPs on the backside, ‘Jah Power Dub’, which has only existed as a much-coveted dubplate 'til now.

The A-side’s ‘Changes’ would notably spawn James Blake’s Harmonimix version down the line in 2013, but the OG is patently superior and firmly imprinted on memory, thanks to that dead eerie vocal motif locked into Mala’s signature shuffling hi-hats and scudding subs, leading to a legendary 2nd drop for the ages.

‘Jah Power Dub’ now flexes its might on the undertow, packing the sort of subs that make nostrils flare, synched to skellington chain rattle drums and dankest minor key melody in a way that can now be heard as death knell for the OG dubstep era, in the months before the UK’s smoking ban was enacted and altered the club’s stinky pressure cooker vibe forever.