Some deep  solid productions here from Arkist out on Bristol based Subdepth Records. It's very much in the vein of Headhunter or the Deep Medi camp, combining nice deep bass and chilled, yet touches of  menace appear at times.

'Sexy Space Mother' subtly slopes into the room all  echoing chord stabs and flourishes of percussion. 

You can see a lot of little influences here, garagey  rhythm, almost trance-like build ups and a solid sub keep things interesting.

A rather dark little vocal sample ends this first  track, although I'm not entirely clear on what it's saying it gives me the impression it's something dark! It segueys into 'Shellfish' which takes the tone a little more darker, a cracking kick drum slams into life and some percussive clicks get the head nodding. 

The rather moody synth is interspersed with a brighter melody that balances  this track really well making for a good, entertaining feel overall. Some varied stretched out  acid feeling tingly synths keep the mood of the track balanced and this eventually fades out to the  next track 'The Devil's'. 

This is my favourite of  the bunch which a nice jangly vibe going on over doomladen synthwork opening out into a quality  pounding sub, dub echo and sweeping, almost sword  clash sound effects broaden the feel as another more  lighter melody appears somewhere in the middle.

This  signifies a nice change up in terms of beats to  ensure the original rhythm doesn't get too
monotonous. 'Tripoli Blues' brings the EP to a  close, decidly more uptempo and reminiscent of mid 90s drum and bass. 

The inclusion of some vocals add to this change around of style and some fat bass  stabs keep some of the feel of the other tracks.  

Overall, a chilled EP with some lovely melody makes  it worth a check.  Probably good for checking at  home or on some headphones while sipping on a
chilled glass of your favourite tipple. 

Fans of the deeper styles available such as Mala, Pinch or Ital Tek and while perhaps not as standout as some of  those artists it's definitely got some promise of what's to from Arkist in the future.

Arkist - Sexy Space Mother / The Devil's / Shellfish / Tripoli Blues
Subdepth records
Released 14th June 2010