When it comes to D&B, it’s always great when artists strike that perfect balance between old school and modern, amens and crunchy neuro synths, classic and innovative. Spain-based Kursiva has made a name for himself by walking that none-too-tricky line, developing more and more ways to push the technical envelope in D&B whilst never forgetting its dub, hardcore and ragga roots. His new tune, the aptly named “Big Tune” due out on Bad Taste Recordings tomorrow, once again continues that well-balanced compositional storyline.
So named because of the vox samples from live MC performances shouting “you wanna hear some big tunes, say yes” among other classic MC catch phrases, “Big Tune” opens and breaks with another throwback style: darkstep. You can almost hear the vinyl wobble in the intro tones, the kind that almost always opened a dark or deep track back in the mid-to-late 90s. Said intro picks up the MC/show samples before dropping into a chunky, scrambled egg of a beat with complex, early techstep-style syncopation. Said beat has a modern feel because of said syncopation, but it’s as classic as they come.
The track is ornamented with amens at the phrase transitions while an expertly crafted and equally crunchy bass synth is the main melody, for lack of a better phrase, that pushes the track forward. Also hearkening back to techstep and early neuro, this synth also wouldn’t be out of place on any modern stage. Kursiva’s sort of brought production full circle with this “Big Tune,” successfully showing fans of all ages how the more things change, the more they stay the same. 
It would be interesting to take a tour of Kursiva’s studio and see how much production he does on modern software and gadgets and what sort of vintage gems or analog-built mods he’s working with. A true genre-melder by nature, Kursiva proves once again with “Big Tune” that as long as a track slaps, it’ll keep the fans coming back.
“Big Tune” drops tomorrow on Bad Taste Recordings on Beatport and Spotify. Hit up Bad Taste’s website to pre-order for any other platforms for the December 24 world wide drop.
