Acid Dub Studies

Jim Coles has spent the best part of a decade exploring the outer edges of bass music under the Om Unit banner, from jungle and drum & bass to footwork and the half-time dubstep that made his name. Acid Dub Studies strips that wide-screen production back to a single obsession: the Roland TB-303, run through the classic dub-reggae mixing of Adrian Sherwood and Deadbeat. Self-released on his own imprint (ADS001DD), it arrives with little fanfare — yet Bandcamp Daily’s February roundup called it “possibly the best thing he’s ever done”, bold words for a catalogue this deep.

Opener Intro (1:00) fades in like a radio signal finding its frequency — tape hiss and trailing delays that set the tone for the restraint to come. Bristol Theme (3:19) then announces the record’s signature sound: a squealing 303 acid line smeared in spring reverb and sent skittering through tape echo, sat atop a warm, unhurried bassline. It’s dancefloor-informed, but there’s no four-to-the-floor kick holding it together, just drums that lope and breathe the way dub always intended.

The middle of the record is where Coles’ editing chops shine. Treading Earth (4:13) lets the acid line dissolve into reverb whilst treated percussion anchors the groove, and Dissolved (3:44) does exactly what its title promises, the 303 surfacing and sinking beneath swells of dubwise texture. Celestial Envoy (2:46) is the closest thing to pure ambience — a two-minute drift of warm pads and echo that feels like the record exhaling.

Ghosts (4:06) and Circled (4:39) bring the beats back with real intent, the former’s half-time drums and ghostly vocal fragments recalling Coles’ dubstep roots, whilst Rolling Stock (4:25) and Tapped (3:40) lock into hypnotic grooves, each mix building and stripping away with the patience of a sound-system veteran. Closer The Struggle (3:20) leaves us on a final, faded transmission — the 303 still humming as the tape runs out.

What makes Acid Dub Studies so affecting is its intimacy. No features, no grand statements — just one producer, one synthesiser and a mixing desk, exploring a sound he plainly loves. It rewards headphones and unhurried evenings, and it makes a convincing case that the narrowest ideas can produce the richest music. Bandcamp Daily may have called it his best work; it’s certainly among his most personal.