- There's a strong chance you've heard the Lisbon label Naive's first record, Togetherness, if you've recently caught breakbeat-friendly DJs like Ciel or Eris Drew. The follow-up, Badness, finds label head Violet and BLEID developing Naive's style of techy, jungle-infused music. For anyone searching for party bombs like those found on Togetherness, the title track will be this EP's most gratifying. Steely stabs and a booming two-note bassline lend it an irresistible bounce, and its drum programming is refreshingly varied. There's a loose groove from the start, but the actual breaks don't surface until two minutes in. The vocal sample is just a single sampled word—"badness"—but amid so much energy it winds up sounding like a command.
"Toxic" is similar, but pads and a light acid line add a hypnotizing effect strengthened by open hi-hats sliding in and out of time. BLEID's solo track, "Wall," gives the impression that the EP's hypnotic touch comes from her. It has a busy rhythm section, with a tightly tuned snare skittering haphazardly throughout, but gorgeous pads clear the air. Even the intensely repeated vocal sample is peacefully stupefying. Violet's "Abyss" weaves a Ciara sample through rich bass swells in a way that recalls the UK's post-dubstep era. It's a slight outlier among the EP's other tracks, but it's well produced all the same.
TracklistA1 Violet x BLEID - Badness
A2 Violet x BLEID - Toxic
B1 BLEID - Wall
B2 Violet - Abyss