Oliver Edgecombe is a jolly nice chap from the English countryside, near Bristol. He uses excellent grammar, says please and thank you, and fathers would be happy if he dated their daughters.

Cottonmouth, on the other hand, is a raving lunatic whose dubstep tracks have dark, screaming basslines, sinister drum programming, and disturbing melodies. Add to this his highly sought skills as a DJ and the drive to constantly bring his music to new levels, and the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde routine is complete.

Starting out as a drum-n-bass producer at the age of just fourteen, Oliver retired from the music biz a few years later, or so he thought. During this time, he remained immersed in the electro, minimal, and DnB scenes, and in November 2009, tried his hand at producing dubstep. That day, Cottonmouth was unleashed and has been wreaking havoc on the scene ever since.

Landing his dubstep mixes of Lady Gaga and Metallica in Soundcloud’s Top 10 tracks for the year, Cottonmouth has built a strong and loyal following in just six months. Following that was a remix of The Love Theme’s “Indian Girl” that has been featured exclusively by BBC Radio1’s Nihal and shot to Soundcloud’s #1 Hot Tracks position. Now, his original material is in even higher demand than his remixes.

Cottonmouth’s debut EP, Wake Up, satisfies the cravings of current fans and is sure to win new ones. With meticulous production, unpredictable changes, and basslines with a deep rumble, each track is ready for peak hours on the dubstep dancefloor.

“Moving On” opens by paying homage to that pioneer of dubstep, Johann Sebastien Bach, with its contrapuntal fugue intro. If that sounds like another language, not to worry: the bass drops hard and we’re off to the three-legged dubstep races.

“Chinese Breakaway” cranks up the intensity and turns the dubstep wobble inside out with constant variations over a heavy beat that would make John Bonham tap his toes and Rick Allen clap his hands.

“Stompbox” uses vocal samples and a simple hook to build to- several climaxes, and is a surefire dancefloor mover.

Closing with the aptly named “Faceslap,” Cottonmouth leaves us wanting more. The unsettling melody and changing rhythms keep us on our toes until the final wobbly bass note echoes into nothingness.

Cottonmouth – Wake Up – PDRX0007 by Permanent Damage Records