Bestsellers This Week

Review: We know about the boy who cried wolf. But have you heard the one about the boy who cried Kry Wolf? No, neither have we. But dropping this bottom end savvy b-boy workout will certainly keep the wolves from your door for a while. Elsewhere you'll find "Under My Skin", a bashy, darker number with an incessant rhythm and some nifty finger clicks and handclaps. There's plenty to chat about on the remix tip, too: Mak & Pasteman turn "Black & Blue" into a Guy Called Gerald flavoured acid house joint, Daniel Haaksman massages "Under My Skin" into a hypnotic Made To Play style mode while Real delivers a slice of two-step so sexy you'll want to marry it.

Review: Broken Youth are poetic in their origins- claiming their musical ethos draws on many influences, which is what you'd expect when half of them (DJ Benz) moonlights in the excellent Hot City. Together with production partner Sam Tee, the Broken Youth style is unveiled in suitably boisterous fashion with a bassline update of 90s classic "Dreamer." Already getting plenty of airtime on Miss Annie Mac's Radio One show, it's likely you will be hearing this throughout the Summer. Welcome Broken Youth

Review: Young Philly producer Krueger channels the sounds of London on this new EP for Paradisiaca. Title tune "40oz Bounce" channels Pearson Sound and Girl Unit in particular, whilst still sounding hugely unique, while the excellent bass-thumper "This Is Sick" mixes reverbed textures with a thumping minimal kick. On a mean, post-dubstep tip, "Talk" is an equally essential 130bpm mindf*ck loaded with plenty of hip-hop swagger.

Review: Upcoming UK house pairing Mak & Pasteman show a healthy respect for the best of Detroit and London on this new release on Shifting Peaks. The essential title tune "Do The Same" is smothered in strong dreamy pads a la Derrick Carter, but spiced up hugely by an addictive vocal hook that's layered perfectly over blunt kicks and Carl Craig-style arpeggios. "Lost" is a more withdrawn and haunted 2-step winner, while "Mode" takes a familiar Junior Reed refrain but frames it perfectly over some rough snares and tough, grimy bass. An excellent release and definite names to follow during the course of the year.

Review: The story behind this release is a smile-inducing one; Parisian producer French Fries rushed the decks during a Claude Von Stroke set in Paris. "They were playing a new sound, some nasty bits sitting somewhere between juke and bass music and I knew we had to get this vibe on Dirtybird no matter what," recalls the American. And here it is, with "Yo Vogue" arriving at a time when interest in the resurgent NY ballroom/voguing scene is at a high. The pitched-down vocal intoning the words "I wanna see you vogue b*tch" is backed by splashing, reverbed hats, frankly mental rave stabs and a killer bass line. CVS turns in his own remix, a heads-down affair the chops the vocal with effortless ease, while the Leroy Peppers version goes deep on the atmospherics and plunges deep into the murkiest depths of sub bass.

Review: Considering he's been releasing records for the likes of Planet Mu and Apple Pips since 2009, it would be something of an understatement to say that Brackles' debut album has been a long time coming - but it couldn't have been better timed. Although his sound - a rough hybrid of UK garage and funky styles with echoes of dubstep - is very much of the now, there's an obvious love for the classic sounds of 90s UKG which many of his more inexperienced contemporaries lack - assisted by the inspired vocal contributions from Lily McKenzie and Terri Walker. But it's not just a throwback record - be it the slightly offbeat bass and calypso vibe of "Walkin' Out", or the churning subs of "Squarehead", Brackles nevertheless manages to twist the template into weird and unique shapes. That this album has been released on Rinse isn't a surprise - he's encapsulated nearly twenty years of the station's sound into one record.

Review: Released on Space Hardware, another new label from Hypercolour magnate Jamie Russell, American producer Placeholder impresses hugely on this debut. The whispy bass-house of "Brothers" makes for a gripping and minimal start to the EP, but "Don't U Know" is the real standout. Stocked to the brim with future-funk and neo-soul flavour, the expertly chopped and pitch-shifted vocals that drive it along are truly exceptional, with octaves layered on top of each other over a fresh 808 clap. Jacob Korn fleshes "Don't U Know" out with some tricked-out snares and hats on his remix (as well as his Todd Edwards-esque "NuGroove remix"), but that original really takes some beating. Highly recommended stuff!

Review: T Williams returns to Enchufada and continues a frankly unstoppable run of form with this five track EP. Audibly on more of a funky tip than his deeper excursion for Local Action late last year, the EP sees Williams using rawer sounds than some of his more stripped back productions. The title track for example positively fizzles with energy thanks to its sawtooth bass playing off against Terri Walker's sweet vocal hook. "Synthia", meanwhile, is infused with jungle breakbeats and manic stabs. "Malfunction" is driven forward with a wily bassline and UKG synth strings, while "30 Degree" plays with a heavy kwaito vibe. The EP ends on something of a curveball, but "Zoop" still impresses hugely thanks to its dub siren lead.

Review: London producer and DJ Tee Circus has already been receiving heavy support from Redlight and Monki on Rinse FM for "Plus 8" - a sleek yet effective bass winner that mixes rude acid swing with straight-ahead snares and hats - and for the more robust garage shuffle of "Flying Gangsta". As well as excellent mixes from Hidden Cat and Viers, incredible funky mentalists Jook 10 give "Plus 8" a filled-out UKF groove that simply shines.

Review: With releases on Hot N Heavy and Senseless under his belt, as well as heavy support from bass-monsters like Crookers, Canblaster, Mumdance and AC Slater, San Francisco-based producer Reilly Martin makes a startling debut on Top Billin'. Deep, Joy Orbison-like textures (as on "Risin") are matched by energetic yet breezy clubsteppers like the Snoop-sampling "Work It" and the fiendish Detroit via Dirty South banger "Oh So Nice". A perfect fit on Top Billin's superb roster of mind-expanding bass producers.

Review: An all-star outing for Wildlife on the ever-reliable Man Recordings, featuring contributions from Daniel Haasman and, most impressively, Sheffield bass mogul Toddla T. The latter's collaboration, "Hear Dat", is arguably the EP's stand out moment. Kicking off with a smacked-out low-end buld, it quickly transforms into a rush of Juke-tempo percussion, dancehall bass and ear-piercing sirens. The Haaskman collab, "Paragon", is almost as impressive, offering a rolling blend of UK funky-goes-tropical drums and cut-up vocal wails. Elsewhere, the dubwise "Clapperz" impresses with its stoned blend of head-nodding drums and vintage Sheffield bleeps.

Review: Summer's coming and Manchester producer xxxy has decided to have it. Big time. An excellent and vital producer, who's been impressing hugely over the last year with mixes on Fortified Audio and Ten Thousand Yen, xxxy steps away from his more woozy bass mode on "Everything", which simply leaps out on first listen thanks to a Chicago-esque vocal chopped up anthemically yet tastefully over some hands-in-the-air Juno stabs and jacking drums. Trust us, this is going to be huge. Up next, "I Know This (Can't Be Love) is pretty essential too, thanks to an unlikely mix of acid basslines and pitched-up vocals. Hugely recommended all round.

Review: The latest release from the Glaswegian imprint adds a further sheen of excellence in a year where Numbers has really knuckled down and concentrated on a schedule of multi faceted releases. Such has been the demand for Mosca's debut on the Numbers imprint, the London based producer cheekily took to touting advance DJ copies of Do Me Wrong via Facebook. Both tracks here are fully poised for the floor, priming a throwback Bassline / UK G swing dipped in a nowness from Mosca that's been evident on drops for Night Slugs and Fat City. Unusually, it's the B Side that's garnered the most attention, which is odd as "Done Me Wrong" is excellent, reigning in vintage female hollerations over clipping rhythms, swamping basslines and parping synths that pay homage to the classic "RIP Groove". Flipside, the more celebrated "Bax" is a dual assault on your senses, murky sub bass jabbing at your ribs, whilst the sweet cooing vocals whisper sweet nothings in your ears. All this is underpinned by a skipping mid 90s flex heavy on the neon stabs that has warehouse jam written all over it.

Review: Having previously contributed two remixes for Roska's Kicks And Snares label, the UKF don gives the Rinse DJ a chance to flex out on his own with this ace new EP. Title tune "Battlestar" goes on a more techno-slanted voyage of dancing bleeps and thick 4/4 kicks, while "Hold Your Corner" punches in nicely on a funky/grime edge. Best of all though might be the upfront and bright "Pass Go", which recalls Funkystepz' kaleidoscopic arrangements but with a more Euro-friendly drive.

Review: On a slow and steady rise with a distinctive take on UK Funky, Ill Blu haven't given the people much to chew on with their career so far. One can only assume the duo have been hunkering down crafting new material as this EP on Hyperdub comes more than a year after their last outing on Numbers. "Clapper" is a brawny cut with a nagging mid-range squawk and tasty rolling brushes of snares on a milatiristic tip. Juke's man of the moment Traxman does a hefty chop up of the original with a stomping rave era cut that wouldn't sound out of place on The Prodigy's Experience.

Review: One of the more prolific artists in these times, Matt Cutler is back with his fifth album, which is an impressive feat in just five years of releasing music. It's a disregard for pretention that makes Cutler's music work so appealing, whether it be the exuberant 90s house approach on last album Emerald Fantasy Tracks or his earlier hip hop-tempo bump. Galaxy Garden starts off on a more esoteric tip with the tropical electronica of "New Colour", which captures the cheeriness of Plaid, or more recently Oriol on Planet Mu, in its sunshine chimes. By the time we get to "Lying In The Reeds" we're up to a house tempo that harks back to the softer side of early Detroit, playing with melody in a way that made Kenny Larkin stand out early on. It's when "Crystal Caverns 1991" starts up that we reach the most blatant distillation of old-skool; kicking off a breakstep beat with sweet but punchy 90s synths, the track cuts into a deadly rave motif without so much as a pause in the beat and it's like being back in, er, 1991. It would be easy to write off an album like this as derivative, but no-one can listen to the music itself and call it an imposter. Every track reeks of originality, whether it be the surprising track structures, the superbly detailed production, even the evocative imagery that the music conjures up. If you ever needed an album that felt like wide-eyed, innocent joy, this would be an excellent place to start.

Review: Atlanta's Distal continues to shine brightly, with this new release on Sinden's Grizzly label kicking heavily thanks to the Dirty South acapella loopin' of "Boss Of The South" and the excellent ghetto 808-frenzy of "Coke Bottle". Sinden himself smoothes out "Boss Of The South" on his mix, while Capracara's South of Heaven remix of the same track is a wildly experimental and very awesome woozy-house revisit that's simply gushing with misty rave goodness.

Review: From Diamond & Raw, a new record label based in Edinburgh, Bristol bass trio Forget Me Not team up with The Boxette's singer Neo for this very tasteful and forward-thinking mix of R&B sugar, creeping techno textures and 2-step beats. Huntley & Palmers' excellent Auntie Flo drops a bare but thrilling drum-led remix, as does Gullfisk, who winds in superb floating, dubby soundscapes on his more head-focused mix.

Review: Mixed by RacknRuin, this first journey into the vaults of the Black Butter label throws up some huge grime/UKF bangers. A label that's been showcased by Annie Mac and Zane Lowe in recent months, Black Butter artists like Tomb Crew, Marco Del Horno, Warrior One and Rudimental get put through their paces over these 16 tracks -available either individually or as one continuous mix by Racknruin. Definite highlights include Hostage's deadly remix of Noisses' "The Don" and Warrior One's jungle-influenced take on RacknRuin's own Jessie Ware-hook up, "Soundclash".

Review: Stepping up for the next installment from the pioneering grime, dubstep and funky label Rinse is Royal-T. First up is "Inside The Ride", a rough and ready swinging stepper, with booming bass, funked up 2-step beats and plenty of East End attitude in the bleepy SFX, stabs and snapping snares. "Cool Down" pairs a hypnotic garage rhythm with cooing, silky smooth vocal and pumping dancefloor beats to enormous effect. Another legendary release from the Rinse crew!

Review: Hailing from Australia, Bosstone's music mines the same fertile ground as Night Slugs' London take on Baltimore house and Croydon dubstep. Opening track "Lean" utilises a sparse arrangement, concentrating on rapid 808 kicks and whipcrack ghettotech snares to accent its brooding atmosphere. "Beaucoup" is a bit like Addison Groove under the influence of codeine, with juke inspired rhythms at a more manageable pace. "Makeup To Breakup" meanwhile recalls a Jacques Greene style take on futuristic R&B, albeit one more restrained with its melodies. Remix support comes from DJ Sliink, who transforms "Lean" with some popping synths and dooms laden sirens, Samename, who delivers a tight house reflex of "Beaucoup", and "Deebs", whose fractured hip-hop reworking "Makeup 2 Breakup" turns the original into a technicolour marvel.

Review: An excellent debut from a new crew comprising Hyperdub/Lightworks funky house producer Ossie, as well as Paul Black and Orial. Bringing some lo-fi vocal soul to UKF, the trio announce themselves with three stark but huge tracks - the shimmering and jacking title-tune, the mesmerising Detroit waves of "Nobody Knows" and the warped house of "Messing Around" - complete with background studio chatter for extra trippyness. Ossie's own mix of "Back Of My Car" is also included, and makes for an intense astral hardcore makeover that rounds off this enormously impressive introduction.

Review: This newie from Baxta is a little different to previous Cheap Thrills releases. While the UK funky/garage/B-more/tropical fusions on offer do come loaded with heavy drums and gut-wrenching bass, there's also plenty of subtlety to the production and some choice melodies and ear pleasing sounds (see the title track and the touchy-feely breakdowns of "Skyline"). Recommended.

Review: A producer known for his sterling, dub slanted Soul Jazz 12"s as well as remixes for Spank Rock, Roll Deep, and Count & Sinden, Kalibata brings his talents to Greenmoney for this excellent double-track release. "Freeown" is a fired-up tropical bass worker that's not made any less punchy by its dubby inflections, while "Skanker" is a dubstep-influenced menace that plies seriously low bass over crisp 2-step snares.

Review: The ever reliable Greenmoney Recordings returns to the business of releasing music with this incendiary three track EP from Doncaster's finest (only?) garage/UK funky duo, Mista Men. The Cardiac Arrest EP opens with "Baby Charm" and it's pure fire, with stuttering rave stabs underpinned by a rugged UKF beat and occasional lashings of fun bass squelches. Up next the title track goes in on a darker tip - check the menacing drop into the sound of a respiratory machine half way through! - before "Daylight Robbery" rounds off a must-check EP with swirling synths and scattered rim-shots. You'll find a bit of everything on this EP and it's all the better for it.

Review: Continuing to bait overly serious dance music with unashamed rave fodder, Unknown To The Unknown enlist a couple of rough and ready remixers in to take DJ Haus' "Needin U" into further realms of large. R1 Ryders step up first with more breaks than a Channel 5 film, wasting no time in launching into a dark slice of rolling old-skool goodness drenched in mammoth synths. Photonz's remix may seem restrained in comparison, kicking off on a haunting refrain and submerged beats, all the while edging towards a proper drop that calls to mind the finest space age machinations of Yorkshire bleep.

Review: A huge new release on the Four40 label sees Regality kill it with an exceptionally fly mix of 808 kicks and snares, soulful vocals and distant harmonies on the excellent "Celebrate". A range of mixes back it up nicely, going from the dubby and mellow house of Charlie Banks & Stacklow's revisit to the more upfront floor-focused sounds of Squarehead.

Review: With a breakthrough 2011 garnering radio support from none other than Rinse FM's Marcus Nasty, Jook 10 delivers another set of UKF bangers. With the whipcrack snares on display in "Suns Out", it's clear this producer is a don when it comes to percussion, something also displayed in the distinctly more tribal rhythms of "Peng", a trip into deeper UKF territory. "Scream" lives us to its name, with a banshee-like synth and tortured vocal sample creating a distinct jungle vibe, whilst "Minimal Dark" does its best to give listeners whiplash again with the sheer force of its raw snares.