By day, ld is a cutting engineer at transition studios, the country’s number one mastering room for dubstep and bass music. what he doesn’t know about carving a deep groove can be written around the edge of a center label, and he applies the same audio-architectural expertise to the design and build of his own productions. after his recent killer collaboration with kode9 on ‘bad’ / ‘2bad’, ld returns in fine style with two more lean and muscular tracks, each richly percussive and aimed squarely at the dancefloor, yet each still imbued with the thoughtful melodic overtones that are fast becoming a hyperdub calling-card. ‘traumatic times’ suggests ryuichi sakamoto trapped in south london, with a gorgeous melancholic ringing keyboard motif riding on top of a driving rhythm section and the warmest of sub-bass swells. flipside ‘woodblock’ is a more animated excursion, like a heightening of the senses after the a-side’s languid rolls, peppering the air with infectious synth hooks which dart across and worm around an insistant tribal rhythm. essential selections.