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For the second effort on his very own Oblique imprint, Ben Buitendijk returns to the sound he's only showcased through his well received Promised Land (Mosaic) and a recent remix through Subwax.

This more dubby approach is the general thread in the sophomore Oblique release called ''Past and Present EP''. Generally, this release is threading into deeper territories than it's predecessor but is therefor revealing different sides of the label owner's taste that are maybe being underexposed thus far.

''Roots'' acts as a sublime opening track. Dramatic fx works are bundled together over a well built drum pattern that collides extremely well with the almost lava-esque bubbly sound of the delay laden synths that float throughout. ''Side Stepping'' is somewhat of a change in atmosphere. While maintaining the spacious yet dubby approach of the the opening track, ''Side Stepping'' has a lighter feel to it while the drums are thoroughly programmed underneath and the FX chains seem even more present than before.

On the B side we find ''Apollo'' again a dubby stepper which evolves subtly into a more mean crawler that cleverly blends dramatic chords together with fragments of delayed stabs and panned artefacts. ''Near Mint'' serves as the ''Past And Present EP''s finale. A spacious cut that respects the overall feel of the EP whilst gently threading into a more otherwordly atmosphere which moves in perfect harmony with the buldging bass hit that sits underneath.

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