various / 14 tracks

14 Tracks: Roska's Kicks & Snares

Over the last two years the productions of Roska, aka Wayne Goodlitt, have helped define the rhythmic make-up of UK dance music in the early 21st century. His ruggedly syncopated riddims on the Roska Kicks & Snares imprint and a slew of prominent remixes for artists from Martyn to Ghosts On Tape have ensured his ubiquity in underground circles and an increasing profile further afield with DJs like Kode 9, Cooly G and Bok Bok spinning his tracks worldwide. The tracks in this selection span his two alter egos, from the tuff house programming of his Roska beats to the more percussive and Afro-tribal influences of the Uncle Bakongo project, all shot-through with a healthy balance of frothy soca house melody and a muscular rhythmic weight. Watch any of these tunes drop in a dance and you know you're in the presence of some seriously affective vibes. As the dubstep rave continues to homogenize into curdled formulaity, it's the bare-bones approach and rooted principles of producers like Roska which are fuelling some of the most exciting developments in UK dance music right now.