A1 Bassline At Juno Download

Review: Having forged a career out of the sort of ballsy, in-your-face garage/rave hedonism, Christian Sibthorpe is attempting to take his A1 Bassline project in another direction. As a result, the Breakaway EP's title track is a deep, fluid groover that seductively shimmies between the speakers. Rather than bowel-bothering basslines and blunt beats, there are classic US garage keys, woozy pads and intricate drums. "Open Mind" and the thunderous "Copper" feature rhythms deeply rooted in UK garage, but still boast more depth than your average Olympic diving pool. If you've enjoyed Scuba's recent outings, you'll definitely enjoy this.

Review: A1 Bassline has survived the fidget-electro days nicely if "Falsehood" is anything to go by. A jacking, funky-tech winner that uses some unruly 808 patterns and Detroit-ish pads a la Bashmore, Pearson Sound and Girl Unit, this is a surprising sonic development from Croydon's A1B, but a very pleasing one too. "Lumps (Technological)" is even better - with a huge, Zinc-like bassline bubbling under a classic house kit and a rising filter vocal that's completely addictive. More please Mr. Bassline.

Review: A1 Bassline, aka Croydon's Christian Sibthorpe, has moved on considerably from his ghetto rave beginnings, getting deeper and darker in the process. This latest EP sees him really pursue a retro sound, especially on "Slur" where we are taken to a David Morales Red Zone party in early 90s New York. Up next, "Slingback" is altogether darker: melding tech house with a hint of vintage Detroit techno for an intense and hypnotic trip.

Review: Hatched is a taster for a forthcoming compilation on Claude Von Stroke's label and shows why Dirtybird has thrived where other labels have failed. The label boss' collaboration with Eats Everything, "Ignorance is Bliss" sets the tone, as a jerky house groove features heavy claps, insistent bleeps and a catchy vocal intoning 'we're sailing across the river'. A1 Bassline and Sascha Robotti's contributions are more stripped back, with heavy drums and nagging rhythms - and in A1 Bassline's case, a filtered siren riff - prevailing. But the more spaced out tracks impress most and the swirling chords and hissing percussion of SFX's "Kingdom" makes for the release's highlight.