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CCBCD 001
22 Apr 13
Review:
With the imminent return of Daft Punk reminding us all of Paris's vibrant electronic music heritage, local label ClekClekBoom pop-up to provide us with a wide-eyed snapshot of the current Parisian underground. There are hints of familiar French staples - the stomping Ed Banger-ish ravery of The Town's "Dice", the classic house flex of Coni's "Missing You Nire" - but for the most part Paris Club Music Volume 1 dances to a different beat. With label regulars French Fries coming to the fore, much of the album is devoted to the sort of hard-to-pigeonhole bass music that takes its influence as much from B-more, R&B and UK garage as filter funk and electro-house.
IM 018
06 May 13
Played by: Commodore 69 (Hot N Heavy)
Review:
When 123MRK's Noname EP dropped in 2011 creating waves all around the dubstep and bass music scene. Moulding the sound of his generation into a style all his own, the Frenchman suddenly found himself held aloft as an innovator as well as simply a producer of sounds. This remixed release of his seminal EP was a lofty undertaking and the finished item features remixes from some of the future dubstep scene's brightest young stars alongside long-time innovators. From Liar's metalic, lo-fi flavours to Troy Gunner's understated clicks and swirls; ViLLAGE's heart-pounding house remodelling to Heblank's old-school twist, even the likes of Pixelord and ReSketch play their garage-influenced hands to create an all-new modern-day canvas of what exactly bass music is right at this moment. It can never be truly defined, but this is a pretty good encyclopedia.
DB 087
12 Mar 13
Review:
If dance music was professional sport, the Dirtybird roster would be in the premier league, with Claude Vonstroke the whip cracking manager. Here he rounds up his top players for an exhibition match, allowing them to flex their muscle and strut their stuff. It's all killer, no filler, dirty house music - highlights of which include the nasty funk of Justin Martin & Ardalan's "Wheelgunner", Munnibrotherz's sweet n sour "Drum Machine", the future-booty-bass of "Black Girls White Girls" and the surprisingly techno "Coefficient" by J Phlip.
LCTRAX 001
01 Jun 12
Played by: Ennio Styles (Stylin Radio Show), Big Dope P, DJ Cable, Piri Piri, Da Movelt Nasty Show, Massacooramaan
Review:
Teklife Vol 1 represents the first release for footwork trailblazer DJ Rashad's new Lit City Trax imprint, created in collaboration with DJ Spinn and associate J-Cush, and a label which promises to be the definitive label for Chicago's well established footwork scene. At a massive 20 tracks this album is a meaty proposition, and it's testament to Rashad's talent that the album is entirely free of filler. Showing the producer's talent for swelling low end and threadbare percussion, album highlights include his excellent DJ Spinn collaboration "We Trippy Mane" with nods to Juicy J, the analogue mayhem of "She Gonna Go", the manic 303 and 808 assault of "Da Life" and the juxtaposition of smooth Rhodes chords, horn samples and furious percussive rattle on "Kush Ain't Loud".
BLKBTR-SLCD02
18 Mar 13
SPEAKS 009
04 Feb 13
Review:
Born into life kicking and screaming back in 2010, London via North Devon label Shifting Peaks has slowly but surely earned a killer rep in the world of bass and underground house. This is their second compilation and boy is it packed full of goodies. Highlights include the melancholic urban-tropical vibes of Mak & Pasteman's "Do The Same", the psychedelic Chicago vibes of Marshall Jefferson & Noose Heads' "Mushrooms", the heartbroken jukeisms of Cut Off! Cut Off!'s "Second To None" and the sublime King Of Arabs' "The Years Without Art".
BLKBTR-SLCD 01
13 Jan 13
Played by: Homegroove Project, Fort Knox Five, Mat Cant, Nic Fanciulli, Matta, Tee Circus, Rack N Ruin, Lucent
Review:
Despite only unveiling themselves to the public in 2010, Black Butter Records have already ascended to some impressive heights with a string of hugely popular bass/UKF releases. This first 'proper' label comp features five names from their roster, remixed by many more. It's literally fizzing and popping with retro-futuristic ideas and sounds: from the B-more drum machine orgy of "Be More (3hrs & Woz mix), to Matta's accelerated electro version of Kidnap Kid's classic "Vehl" and Vince Clarke's elasticated tech-house version of "Lazarus Taxon", to the scuzzy, rave-inflected house of Codec's "What You Need", the thoroughly ominous bass tones of "Hackney Heat" by Racknruin via the eccentric end-of the world beats of "Trick Green" by Hostage.
HNHLP 030
12 Dec 12
Played by: Hybu, Mr Brainz / Orpheus:ldn, Odiggity, Juno Recommends Uk Funky/Garage, Hxdb, DJ Cure (Aufect Recordings), Commodore 69 (Hot N Heavy), Shouts!, Blind Prophet (South Fork Sound), Martin Sauvage /Soukouch Ethnik/, D3adl1ne, Konnekt - Hot N Heavy, Lucent, Allmostt, Cosby (Car Crash Set)
Review:
San Francisco's Hot n Heavy Recordings mark their third birthday with a new action packed compilation, released on the symbolic date of 12/12/12. Featuring 14 fresh cuts spanning future bass, deep house and leftfield garage. Highlights include the tropical melancholia of Laney's "You Need To", the menacing minimal vibes of "Hairdresser" by Allmostt, the sparse, abstract garage of HxDB's "Spectator" and the slammin' raw, retro house of "Darlin" by D3adl1ne.
GPH 009
14 Dec 10
UDZ 026
08 Oct 12
Played by: Young Hand
Review:
Garage and house veteran, Jeremy Sylvester, has been banging out killer UK dance records since the early 90s. Now Urban Beats are reissuing his best stuff and this album features 11 tunes and a bonus DJ mix from the man himself. All the tunes here have aged extremely well; from the synth heavy hysterical-house workout of "No Longer Will I Be your Fool", to the sax-heavy garage anthem "Baby Ooh" via the disco-garage of "Don't Make Me Wait' and even Sylvester's own moody remix of Masterbuilders' "Man Cannot Rise".
HDBCD 015
27 Aug 12
Played by: Ennio Styles (Stylin Radio Show), Dusk + Blackdown, Lwp Records, Diplo, Chrissy Murderbot, Diphasic
Review:
Rapidly following up 2011's superb Keysound long-player Routes, production trio LV make a logical move to Hyperdub for Sebenza, an album that features a trio of South African vocal talent, including Okmalumkoolkat from Dirty Paraffin, Spoek Mathambo and MC/producer duo, Ruffest, and production that takes in Kwaito, Soca, kuduro and UK funky to create its own unique sound. Standouts include the dark and urgent title track, the snappy vocal wit of "Animal Prints" and the spiky digital dancehall of "Nothing Like Us". But like Routes, Sebenza is much more than simply a collection of disparate dance tracks, but a rich tapestry of influences that is light years ahead of their nearest competition
TBMP 3112
16 Jan 13
Review:
Finland's Top Billin fulfill their New Year resolutions by releasing their now traditional two January compilations. Hot on the heels of their 'Best Of 2012' collection, label co-founder Sir Nenis presents this assortment of bangers that didn't manage to fit on to any particular release last year. The quality's still right up there though, and highlights include the Chicago-ish stomp of "Cherry Lotion" by Fisky, haunted hip-house booty track "Ghetto Starr" by Top Billin and DJ Venum, the Inner City on downers vibe of "Yo" by Harkan and the melancholic retro rave of "Feel Good" by Fobator.
AMB 1301
27 Jan 13
Review:
Continuing his productive run of form with R&S off-shoot Apollo, Synkro returns with yet another bumper-sized collection of tracks that show off his ever-enriching talents as a producer of silken, dub infused electronica. Acceptance as a mini-album of sorts is a more resolutely downtempo affair than previous releases, staying firmly in the realm of melancholic passages through blue-hued instrumentation and crystalline beats. There is a sense of experimentation present in the likes of "Disappear" with its lingering guitar strums, while at times he moves away from beats altogether, but this is still very recognisable as the work of Synkro.
SMBLP 001
23 Apr 13
Review:
The long-awaited solo LP from US-based soulful bass music producer Kastle has been the talk of music blogs around the world for months. Now its finally made it to a full release , there's something of a feeling of satisfaction that can be heard in each track. Whether that's projected by the listener or not might be hard to prove, but there's a definite positive energy that flows through everything Kastle produces. From the garage beats of "Been A While" and "Red Light" to the irresistibly hip house groove of "Insatiable" and trap-hop crush of "Death From Above", it's clear that versatility is what this album is all about. Clean, crisp production matched to soulful, blissed-out dance music that's unashamedly fashionable yet different enough to be taken seriously. An album of 2013 no doubt.
505572 1806856
22 Apr 13
SSR 025
16 Jan 12
SSR 034
05 Nov 12
Played by: Mr Brainz / Orpheus:ldn
Review:
Looks like Reading is rapidly becoming UKF HQ thanks to DJ Sunday Roast and his all-conquering Soulserious label. Following on from killer releases by labelmates Jook 10 and Louie John, the head-honcho himself has now stepped up to deliver a 12 track-long player. As the title suggests, it doesn't pull any punches: beginning in a zombie moobathon style ('Fracture", "Zamber"), things quickly get deeper more evil sounding in the best possible way. "Icd" is a remarkable blend of shuffling drum loops and distorted techno basslines, "Radiation" boasts bass squelches like the devil's belches, while the hauntingly epic "Distant Acid" is probably the standout track here (among stiff competition).
MAN 063
19 Oct 11
Played by: Flore, Daniel Haaksman, Big Dope P, Mentalcut, Bert On Beats, Juno Recommends Uk Funky/Garage, Star Eyes, El Dusty, Hanuman Tribe, Bunny On Acid, Mistaken Identity, Lowup Records
Review:
Having infused dubstep with a taste of Angolan Kuduro music as well as other global influences, Estonia's Bert of Beats has his excellent "Antenna of Tallinn" remixed by an equally global cast of producers on this new release. Munchi eschews his trademark moombahton sound on his huge, juke-tempoed mix of "Bone Dat" while epic German mentalists Schlachthofbronx create a rich tech-kuduro version of "Alemao" - sounding plenty like Buraka Som Sistema in the process. Daniel Haaksman also turns in a breathtaking mix of "Bone Dat" which gets a footwerk treatment thanks to some unrelenting claps and punishing sub bass.
TBMP 3102X
29 Aug 12
LM 011
17 Jan 12
Played by: Mental Overdrive, Woodhead, Deepchild, Wildlife!, Dairmount (Room With A View Recs), Juno Recommends Uk Funky/Garage, Hxdb, Vorres - Juno, Commodore 69 (Hot N Heavy), Klipar, Gilus, James Johnston, Nsekt, Liz-E, Astronomar
Review:
Having thoroughly re-established himself in the wave of re-appropriated juke on last years Rooms album, Machinedrum steps up with this rapid fire EP of sliced samples and R&B brightness. "SXLND" distils some serious auto-tune mangling into a broken rhythm, while "Van Vogue" captures the feel-good flavour of early nineties chart dance in a strange, understated soca groove. "DDD" is almost outright house music, albeit with plenty more snippets of vocal getting jiggy with each other, but the smooth shuffle is hard to resist despite its prevalence in these times. Machinedrum's versatility can't be argued with, but more impressive is how he maintains his sonic identity throughout. Highly recommended.
2NDRPFF 001
04 Mar 13
Review:
Founded back in 2007, London imprint 2nd Drop has deftly steered its way through the post dubstep fracture across some twenty releases. Arriving at their fifth & a half anniversary, the label offers up a thrilling snapshot of their enduring diversity on their maiden compilation Future Foundations. Familiar label names like Djrum and South London Ordnance offer their atmospherically swung take on dub techno, while label newcomers like Last Magpie and Alex Coulton provide some bouncy, UKG inspired techno. However, it's the frenetic jungle-inspired take on footwaork from Manni Dee and Deft that offers the biggest surprise in what is an already essential compilation.
EAST 007
18 Jul 10
FLAKE 010
14 Nov 11
NBRN 02
14 Dec 12
GPH 002
17 Aug 10
UW 025LPD
05 Oct 12
Played by: Voodoocuts, Savages Y Suefo, Juno Recommends Funky House, Juno Recommends Dancehall/Ragga, Juno Recommends Dub, Superpendejos
Review:
You could never accuse UrbanWorld of delivering compilations with confusing titles. You see, Global Bass Vol 3 delivers exactly what you'd expect - a kaleidoscopic collection of bass music flavours from around the world. There's humming Brazilian beats (Los Chicos Altos), funk-infused tango-step (Superpendejos), middle eastern shuffle (Silver Bullit), dubwise African hip-hop/breaks (Jalan Surabaya), Brazilian/Arabic B-more fusions (Pops Jabu) and wizened South American cumbia (Agencia Sonoria). Oh, and loads more besides. Whether or not you usually check out "world music", this is well worth further investigation.
426017 1864382
05 Nov 10
ISOM 27D
03 Jun 10
HDBCD 008
16 Jul 12
Played by: Commodore 69 (Hot N Heavy)
Review:
Hyperdub's year of excellence continues apace with the release of Playing Me, the long awaited debut album from Cooly G. Emerging as a key figure in the UK funky scene some four years ago via some highly prized Dub Organiser CDrs, Cooly's musical progression has been charted via a series of EPs for DVA Music and Hyperdub. On this thirteen track album what is most apparent is the confidence this South London producer has in her own singing, a voice that sounds dipped in pain and anguish at times. At others Cooly utilises her vocal delivery as an integral part of the music, which draws from all manner of UK music history of recent times whilst very much sounding part of her modern house template. Oh and there's a Coldplay cover to end the LP too...
DB 073-DJ
22 May 12 |
