Eight Weeks

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.

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.

Review: Described by some as a 'Danish raptress' and by herself as a dirty grime-pop artist, this is the anticipated debut by the um, Danish raptress. Let's get something clear from the get go: Linkoban likes M.I.A....a LOT. So much so in fact that one could be forgiven for assuming that this is a new record by the Galang singer. However, despite the unoriginality, there are still plenty of party-starting baile funk indebted anthems on here including the recent singles "Popgun Track", "Like This" and the audaciously-title "One Trick Pony".

Review: It's grime o'clock at Hyperdub HQ as Terror Danjah and Champion square-off with some midrange baiting badness as cheeky and rude as you would expect from two masters of the art. Danjah's "Glide" actually struts on a peppy 4/4 rhythm, but the synths keep things dutty whilst there are plenty of quirks stitched into the beat. Champion's template on "Bowser's Castle" is broader, with fulsome melodies and a dextrous switch between ring modulating bassline throw downs and glossy synth refrains. In both instances the collaborations between the two bring a more hectic style full of clattering percussion and urgent tempos, clearly fed on the energy of shared studio time.

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.