Mary Anne Hobbs’ 2006 compilation ‘Warrior Dubz’ remains a vital snapshot of the early days of dubstep, coming at the point where it broke into the mainstream in a big way. ‘Wild Angels’, the third volume in the series, aims to do something similar for wonky – the much hyped sub-genre that has been growing in prominence over the last year or so.
There’s good stuff here, especially Untold’s doomy, tribal rhythms and Starkey’s fairground synths, while Hyetal brings the menace on ‘We Should Light A Fire’. But at 18 tracks it also highlights that, over the long haul, wonky can be hard work. There’s only so many mangled 8-bit samples that these ears can handle!
Take in small doses and avoid heavy machinery.
5/10
Words by Ed Salmon
