Forest Drive West | Mantis 1920 (2LP) [DSR/MTS1920]

Forest Drive West | Mantis 1920
Label: Delsin – DSR/MTS1920
Series: Mantis – MTS1920
Format: 2 x Vinyl, 12", Album
Released| 19 Jun 2026

Forest Drive West returns to Mantis with a double pack of crooked, finely chiseled rhythms and porous, tactile atmospherics.

Hovering comfortably between the distinct energies of drum & bass and techno, Joe Baker has helped define the creative upsurge in crossover tempos and tones with a practice that focuses on mood and presence rather than genre tropes. His first releases appeared 10 years ago on influential labels like Livity Sound, Rupture and Hidden Hawaii. He reconvenes on Mantis after delivering the first release for the Delsin series back in 2020.

The scope across these eight new tracks is steeped in Baker's trademark restraint and subtlety, but equally he explores a broad scope of energies and tempos. From ambient, spacious downtempo and slow-motion, heavily dubbed drum mantras through to crisp, techy drum funk and dancehall-coded swagger, the range within the distinctive Forest Drive West sound is more versatile than ever. It's a range cemented further by the guest appearances on the album, as Patrick Russell comes on board for snarling, D&B-coded workout 'Uromastyx' and DB1 lends his chops to mesmerising closing breakbeat trip 'Planes'.

Exquisite sound design with a mysterious streak binds these various approaches together. With club impact matched by spatial immensity, Mantis 1920 furthers the surefooted, intentional sound Baker has been shaping out as Forest Drive West for the past decade.

- Written & produced by J. Baker.
- Additional production on 'Uromastyx' by P. Russell.
- Additional production on 'Plane' by D. Brownsword.
- Mastering by Giuseppe Tillieci @ Enisslab.
- Design by Bernie van Vlijmen. 

TRACKLIST:
A1    Latent
A2    Circuit
B1    Bias
B2    Uromastyx (with Patrick Russell)
C1    Tensor
C2    Node
D1    Vector
D2    Plane (with DB1)

# DnB # Grey Area