Let’s get ready to rumble! Tipper’s latest release, Snake Eyes, has enough wobbly bass to take down both The Natural Disasters and The Brothers of Destruction. These two tracks are packed with plenty of morphing synths and sputtering low-end bass. It’s not quite what I expected to hear after last years’ mind bending Broken Soul Jamboree but still a cool, twisted breakbeat release—similar in style to Wobble Factor and Tertiary Noise.

1. Tipper – Snake Eyes
2. Tipper – Chrome Splat

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I’m gonna keep this simple and let the music speak for itself.

This album is incredible. Go buy it, download it, whatever you need to do to start listening to it right away. And when you get a hold of it, listen to it on a decent set of headphones or a quality system. I’m listening through a pair of passive Mackie HR-624’s with a super flat response and it’s intense. The depth of each track is absolutely insane and the production is near perfect.

As for the music, it’s beautiful. The deep bass from Tertiary Noise and Wobble Factor is still present but toned down to make room for strings, bells, tablas and a wall of organic synths, basses and atmospheres. It most resembles the 2005 release, Surrounded, but surpasses it in every way. I’m gonna quote Abdullah from mtviggy.com here, “Broken Soul Jamboree will remain his finest work until his next album comes out.”

To hear other releases, check out our previous Tipper review. Or to support the artist (and Sawtooth.fm in a miniscule way), you can purchase Tipper music on iTunes.

MP3 1: Tipper – Herriot Method
MP3 2: Tipper – Tit For Tat
Mp3 3: Tipper – Big Question Small Head
Mp3 4: Tipper – Hourglass Infringement

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Dave Tipper is one of the most influential producers in the breakbeat, and underground hip-hop scene, known best for his signature wobbly bass and twisted soundscapes. He’s been cranking out mind blowing tunes since the late 90’s and has produced, remixed and mastered material for countless other influential artists. Tipper was one of the first DJs to mix and spin in 5.1 surround sound and he used to hold the record for the loudest car in the world. Sub frequencies have always been a huge part of his music as he loves the way it makes people feel “all warm and wobbly.”

At 16, he got into rave and drum & bass but eventually grew bored of the fast repetitive beats. After much experimentation in 2000, he slowed things down for his debut full length release, The Critical Path. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever heard. It’s a dark electronic album full of morphing synths, beats and tempos. It has beautiful pads blended with crunchy stuttering drums and soft female vocals—glitchy alien synths, haunting atmospheres and loads of ridiculously cool sounds.

In 2001, Tipper released his second full length, Holding Pattern. This album is slightly cold compared to The Critical Path, but took sound and tempo manipulation to a new level. The 2003 release, Surrounded, was one of the first electronic albums to be mixed in 5.1 surround sound. Where it lacked in dancefloor breaks, it made up in thick haunting atmospheres and chilled out downtempo beats. The ability to change up one’s styles effectively on every release is a sign of a true artist and Tipper has no interest in spending too much time in one genre.

In 2005, Tipper released Tip Hop, his first hip-hop album. He told Clash Magazine that he had offered all he could to the breaks genre and wanted to focus on new styles. The 2006 album, The Seamless Unspeakable Something, dug deeper into sound design and quirky melodies. By 2008, Tipper’s releases had surpassed categorization. Wobble Factor transcends all previous conventions of electronic music. It’s an incredibly fun ride through sub bass anarchy and sonic manipulation. Tipper confesses that he just loves to make strange noises, regardless of their lack of chart success. He makes music solely for himself. The fact that so many of us can’t get enough is beside the point.

A new downtempo album called Broken Soul Jamboree was supposedly coming out at the end of 2008 but I haven’t been able to find out any more information on it. I would love to post Tipper’s entire discography here for those that haven’t heard his music yet, but unfortunately, I can’t do that. Since one track isn’t nearly enough to encompass his wide range of styles, I’ve included five.  ~ tom

MP3 1: Rare and Plentiful – Relish the Trough (2005)
MP3 2: outsideinsideout – The Seemless Unspeakable Something (2006)
MP3 3: Sort Code – The Critical Path (2000)
MP3 4: Paperthinreality – Tip Hop (2005)
MP3 5: Over the Coals – Surrounded (2003)

*Use the right and left arrows to scroll back and forth through tracks.

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