Riding high after 2008’s triumphant Router on Hessle Audio, Pangaea returns with his debut for Hot Flush’s sister label – Hot Flush Two. From the offset it is clear that he’s lost none of the swagger that made that cut one of last year’s essential releases. Opening with Bear Witness, melodic chimes reverberate before the pin-point percussion of the track reminds us of the rhythmic cadence that made his release on Hessle such a winner. Anchored by a lumbering b-line, Pangaea concocts a deliciously smoky vibe, strewn with hints of eerie melody throughout.

For those that find the intoxicatingly drowsy tone of Bear Witness a little to the wrong side of sleepy, the lively strum of Mosaix’s double bass riff may prove the antidote. Full bodied and robust, Pangaea neatly draws upon this staple instrument of jazz without descending into kitsch appropriation. The groove is laden with an irresistible funk which is lent a sinister tone via a series of pads seemingly plucked from a long lost Metalheadz classic. Again, Pangaea comes correct with a tightly wound two-step shuffle to round this typically classy outing.

This convincing twelve shows that this Leeds native shows no sign of sitting idle after the momentum gained in 2008. Many have tipped this producer for big things this year, and this release cements Pangaea’s status as a purveyor of the finest reworkings of the two-step template in 2009.

Bear Witness/Mosaix is released on Hot Flush Two and is distributed in Australia by Inertia.