Hot Flush impresario Paul Rose is dubstep’s original lurker. Masterminding one of the genre’s most influential labels, Rose maintained a low profile. Biding his time behind the scenes, he played patron to a host of talent who have since left their indelible mark on dubstep. All the while he secretly plotted, tinkering in his dub chamber on a series of clandestine bass experiments that were to become the first transmissions of his newly formed Scuba alias. Since then Rose has cultivated a reputation beyond that of a savvy label boss to that of a respected producer in his own right. This progression has culminated with the release of his debut solo album, A Mutual Antipathy.

Scuba’s opening gambit comes in the form of the very chilled Systematic Decline. Its undulating melodic oscillations and sparse percussion are indicative of the tone that pervades much of the album. Paced, contemplative journeys through sound which find themselves most comfortable nestled in the cosy headspace of a quality pair of Sennheisers.

Consistency and flow are key themes that permeate Scuba’s debut. Each track tails off into beatless segues which serves to smoothly transition between tracks. A small gesture, but one that augments to the cohesion and pace of the album, binding individual pieces into a greater whole. For this reason alone, vinyl-toting DJs would be advised to check the CD, as the continuity of the album is a big part of its charm. As one track morphs into another, Hard Boiled emerges as one of the album’s most intriguing points, with a percussive sound akin to a basketball upon wooden floorboards. It’s also one of the album’s strongest moments as Rose’s experimentation pays dividends in this future dub masterpiece. The effect is otherworldly.

The remainder of A Mutual Antipathy follows suit. Scuba is a producer who has distilled his style and now possesses an immediately recognisable sound. For anyone familiar with Rose’s barrage of twelves on his vaunted Hot Flush and Scuba labels, A Mutual Antipathy will come as a welcome progression to this artist’s oeuvre. Sonically deep, warm and luscious, Scuba never fails to create dreamy, immersive vibes. Bereft of obvious hooks, A Mutual Antipathy slowly reels the listener in with subtle allure. Consequently, those looking for a quick bass fix are likely to be disappointed. Rose opts for a route which favours a sagely restraint over the exuberant immediacy which is fuelling dubstep’s recent migration into venues such as Fabric and Ministry.

Scuba has achieved a feat with his long-player debut, delivering a definitive statement of his sound. Making no concessions to the dancefloor, A Mutual Antipathy bears a cohesion that often evades artists making their first foray into the album format. It’s only when cohesion drifts into repetition that he falters, as the halfstep template deployed for the duration of the album grows tiresome by the conclusion. One wonders if the occasional nod to garage’s more lively beatplay would’ve provided the diversity to lift this album an extra notch. As such, it seems a shame that Scuba has not utilised the myriad forms of uptempo dubstep, a genre so ripe with rhythmic possibilities. Small quibbles aside, A Mutual Antipathy stands tall amongst the small cluster of albums to have emerged from dubstep. More crucially, it has the depth to do so for quite some time.