While it’s hard to believe NËU MUSIC is already on its 12th release since Neosignal label heads Phace and Misanthrop started the unique offshoot label in late 2017, it’s not so difficult to believe that Missin would be their pick for the first release of 2020. The Serbian producer has been making waves pretty much since his first releases, landing an EP with Delta9 Recordings in late 2018. Since then he’s been on DIVIDID, MethLab, Terra Firma, Invisible and Vandal records, all multiple times. It’s only logical that NËU would be the next stop.

Missin’s style is abstract, seriously syncopated and always heavy on the sound design but he’s definitely stepped it up for these two tracks on NËU. “No Turning” is a little more recognizably drum & bass with an easily discernable kick beat and neuro-style phrase transitions but it’s still got some surprises. Fans should look for that one coming out with the full release next week.

Bassrush was able to get a sneak streaming preview if the a-side, “STOP THIS,” which is much more out there style-wise. This track is whiplash fast, syncopated all over the place and ostensibly sounds like it’s being played in reverse. The D&B beat is there within all the madness but it might take a minute to find as the main feature is a second, pitched-up beat structure laid over the base beat. This structure shouldn’t be mistaken for snares; it’s very snappy, almost like clicks in terms of timbre and if it’s meant to compliment anything, it’s the synths.

Those synths are the main bit of the track that makes it sound like a vinyl record being slowly played backwards. They have a sort of halting, out-of-nowhere quality to their structure and the arc of sound in them is, indeed, backwards. Rather than swelling in, each note is a tiny decrescendo that halts before it’s finished. There’s also a harmonizing synth that comes in at the middle and which does the same thing. The one-word vocal that says “stop” throughout the track also sounds backwards and a little muddled. In fact, a couple of times in the track, that vox is actually backwards.

Because of the way it’s structured, “STOP THIS” seems a lot more abstract than it actually is. Once the listener squints at it a few times it’s obvious that it’s a solid D&B skanker but with everything going on it can also easily land in the wheelhouses of leftfield, techno or even fully experimental electronica. This is what Missin does so well with the way he designs his tracks and it’s why he’s getting so much notice. “STOP THIS” and “No Turning” definitely represent a new phase for Missin. Here’s hoping he takes bass music along with him

“STOP THIS” and “No turning” drop next Friday, April 3 on NËU MUSIC. Click here to pre-order and pre-save on multiple platforms.