Idle Hands is a new label being launched out of Rooted Records, the Bristol store run by Tom Ford, AKA Peverelist.

Peverelist currently runs Punch Drunk, a label dedicated to dubstep produced by local talent (the likes of Guido, RSD, Pinch and Gemmy); Idle Hands is the brainchild of Rooted’s Chris Farrell, and at least to begin with will deal only in hand-stamped white label 12"s produced by anonymous artists.

In an e-mail sent out yesterday, Farrell explained the thinking behind the imprint:

"Idle Hands is a new vinyl based electronic music label operating out of Rooted Records in Bristol, with distribution through ST Holdings. The focus of the label is on raw and experimental dancefloor tracks, in the best traditions of the UK underground.

You will find no ponderous IDM or mid-range fueled wobblers on Idle Hands.

The first release on the label will be anonymous, although you may be able to guess who it is…"

The A-side of IDLE001 is a moody techno stepper, crisp drums held in exquisitely modulated, echo-drenched dubspace, and dressed with tightly-strung, faintly trancey synth patterns. You will like it a lot. The B-side is more unusual, an off-kilter, sub-heavy 4/4 track with chiming chords, sampled snatches of horn and a more obvious reggae influence. Both tracks are killer, and it doesn’t take a genius to work out who’s responsible (there’s at least one whopping big clue in this news story).

Check out these two-minute clips and see what you think:

Listen: Idle Hands / Unknown Artist  – IDLE001 A [excerpt]

Listen: Idle Hands / Unknown Artist –  IDLE001 B [excerpt]

IDLE001 will be available next month. Check myspace.com/idlehandsbristol and rootedrecords.co.uk for updates.