Akio Nagase

Osaka's acid master completes a trilogy of EPs, culminating in a homage to his love of dub reggae. Akio Nagase has spent the last few years mining the intersection of modular synthesis and spatial production, and Dub Acid represents the fullest expression of that vision yet - four tracks that blur the line between acid's visceral punch and dub's cavernous, meditative depth.

On [Emotional] Especial, Nagase leans hard into reverb-drenched synth lines that seem to float and dissolve into themselves, anchored by the locked-in pulse of techno rhythm. The acid lines aren't there to puncture; they're there to breathe, to haunt. It's the sound of someone who understands both the rigour of warehouse music and the patient, almost spiritual approach of reggae production - echo as composition, not ornamentation.

This is essential listening for anyone interested in how acid and dub continue to reshape each other in the hands of serious producers. A closing statement that feels like an opening.