The embedded hostility of Hemlock’s 2012 entrance theme, the eighth solo 12″ from North London’s Rohan Walder, b.k.a. Randomer, is palpable; two scrappy Garage tunes, cut from the same cloth, with a rough and tumble nature unseen on the label before, but augmented with a minimalist slant noticeable in most of head honcho Untold’s body of work. Randomer’s catalogue has been in constant flux since 2008, arriving at a time when Dubstep was in the process of reaching its limits of sonic exploration and continuing to make records through the largely border-ignoring twenty-teens, and “Scruff Box” / “Get Yourself Together” are two of his more grounded pieces, effectively showcasing some of the more exciting elements of his filtering of tinny, tumbling Garage without daring to offend those same sensibilities.

The first track, the unfortunately titled “Scruff Box,” is the more concise of the two, managing to slice the static-fogged air with bouncing hats, kicks, and snares for three quarters of a minute before lumbering to life with a snarling bassline. What’s most interesting is how he carves the space within the percussion machine with repeated tom jabs and muffled shouts, giving it internal rhythms that gradually slope towards the main assault. The AA side, “Get Yourself Together,” follows very similar motifs without using such a terrible name, though its namesake sample does feel forced in open terriory. The notion of momentum seems a little inward here, with a bit more swing thanks to a fading, distorted groan of bass that glows along the left side of its chassis. Ultimately, GYT feels like a secondary meditation on the concepts that SB initially examined: a bit redundant in the grand scheme, but believable with the conviction that Walder applies to it.

I mentioned Untold’s sense of restraint being a key distinction here from Randomer’s other 12″s, and though the characteristics of the atmospheres on display invoke such a reaction, the candid love of exploring new structural ideas that Jack Dunning has exerted on previous performances is nowhere to be seen. Both “Scruff Box” and “Get Yourself Together” sound like they’re thrashing at their very existence as fundamental examples of Garage conservatism, but with the right degree of forward thinking in regards to audio feng shui, Randomer’s masterpiece may not be far off.

Scruff Box / Get Yourself Together is out on February 20th, 2012 and is available in 12″ and digital formats.