DUPLOC

Somebodyyyy's (China) percussive mastery and Rational Soul's (USA) obsession for rare analogue sample digging coalesce in their Mo Pai EP on Albion Collective, which features a metamorphic remix from the legendary Joe Nice (USA). With their roots set deep in dubstep, Somebodyyyy and Rational Soul draw on sonic shadows from Trip Hop and Techno, as well as audio artifacts from the PlayStation 1 and battered VHS tapes to add iridescent highlights to their collaborative dark matter. The result? Four reload calling face-melters oozing with rhythmic energy and one-of-a-kind soundscapes - all mastered on analogue tape gear. Built from friendship and a mutual appreciation of each other's work at every turn, the Mo Pai EP came together organically. Somewhere between performing at HVYWGHT in Bangkok and Keep Hush in Shanghai, Somebodyyyy reached out to Rational Soul with fresh heat, sparking the catalyst that would later form Mo Pai. Meanwhile, Joe Nice was embarking on an epic tour of Asia, 16 shows across 8 countries, which at one point landed him shotgun in Somebodyyyy's car between gigs in China. The two ran their unreleased tunes through the car system over conversations that flowed across the world, life and of course music. Having gained a great respect for each other's productions, Joe Nice couldn't say no when Mo Pai came on and Somebodyyyy asked if he wanted to remix it. Many moons before, Rational Soul and Joe Nice (both from the DMV) had played together alongside Commodo at a show in Baltimore. The EP's namesake is an ancient Chinese martial art whose true lore can only be glimpsed by those outside of its secretive circles. Embodying its energy, the title track is propelled forwards by vocal chops, banana splats and sword play ripped straight out of Rational Soul's PlayStation 1 library. The first drop thrusts off-beat squelches of dirt onto the dancefloor, while the second drop lays down a steady, pitch-shifting leftfield bassline to permanently warp the organs of all those front left. Falling Down Dub, named after the 1993 movie from which Rational Soul excavated its samples, is a straight to the point, no bull****, fries in the bag wobbler. Reloads, lighters, mosh-pits. Falling Down Dub promises it all in 16-bars. Let Go!! kicks off the B-side with an erratic, octave-jumping bassline hailed by a Japanese woman whose snippet of conversation has been pitched down to sound like a soundboy-ending MC screaming 'Let Go' at their target. Boisterous, bouncy and blissfully bass-heavy, this one's always a switch-up in the right direction. Finally, Joe Nice transforms the cocooned Mo Pai into an odyssean butterfly, as represented by the hand-stamped winged Rorschach blots on the vinyl's cover. Still throwing around all the weight of the original, Joe Nice conjures a hurricane to carry it over distant rivers, forests and mountain peaks. An arpeggiating piano, notes scattered by gale-force winds, brings a moment of uplifting sanctuary to the hearts of the dancefloor. After three years away from its main catalogue exploring Albion Gold, Albion Collective is proud to return to its original series with these three stalwarts of dubstep. Carrying over the DIY ethos of Albion Gold, the sleeves of all 100 records pressed will have the label's manually blotted signature Rorschach ink hand-stamped onto them. With more releases ready and waiting, there could be no better sound than the Mo Pai EP by Somebodyyyy, Rational Soul and Joe Nice to herald what's to come on Albion Collective. Written by Cleary Mallard (Kamer)

For their first release of 2026, Locus Sound returns to its LP series with Compilation Vol. 7 LOCUSLP007 is an eight track project celebrating label artists as well as introducing some new members of the family who will be featuring on the label in 2026.

For their first release of 2026, Locus Sound returns to its LP series with Compilation Vol. 7 LOCUSLP007 is an eight track project celebrating label artists as well as introducing some new members of the family who will be featuring on the label in 2026.