Loadstar At Juno Download

Review: New Ram signing and hotly tipped act of 2011, Loadstar (formerly Xample + Lomax) follow in the footsteps of ex-label mates Chase & Status with their unique brand of uplifting dancefloor D&B. A crooning vocal calls "It starts and ends with you..." cue strumming acoustic guitar, warping bass, smashing drum rolls and synth rockets exploding all over the place. There's an instrumental and vocal version of "Space Between", in case you want to separate the two, and then there's "BLVD", the unsung hero of the release with its synthetic orchestrals, pulsing breaks and High Contrast style vocal sample. This is a beauty waiting to be unearthed - enormous.

Review: Ram's latest two-piece prodigy follows hot on the heels of Chase & Status with their next release on Andy C's legendary Ram Records. Having brought us one of 2010's undisputed anthems - "Link To The Past", this next batch of killer cuts is everything you'd expect and more from the Bristol-based duo. Think catchy riffs, melancholy keys, trance-inspired builds, a gratuitous motorbike bassline, cheeky trigger-happy motif and epic vocal sample in "Berlin" and then unashamed full throttle tear out on the flip in "Hit The Ground", with pounding dancefloor driven drums and thunderous synths.

Review: Bristol's Loadstar continues to follow in the footsteps of their ex-label mates (Andy C's Ram Records) Chase & Status with a new remix-packed er, package. In terms of the original, all key elements are present and correct: rolling deep bass, earnest MC flow, catchy, bleepy hardcore-style melody and sensitive, touchy-feely-trancey breakdowns. Remix-wise Breakage goes for widescreen Eurodance, Rack N Ruin do moody house, Hamilton opts for some heavy Drum 'n' Bass chaos and Tinker Hatfield goes the baile-tinged dubstep route. Bonus track "Vatican Roulette" end things on an apocalyptic, dubstep-infused, Drum & Bass high.

Review: With the release of their album due next month, Loadstar hint at the broad church we can expect to be attending. The radio-ready "Refuse To Love" doffs a cap towards the likes of Chase & Status. Anthemic, vocal-led, lighter-thrusting business, if you enjoyed their earlier single "Space Between" you'll be all over this. "Flight" is the ideal accompaniment; deeper, rolling and focussed purely on the floor, it's quite similar to their previous underground nugget "BLVD". Loadstar are about to smash the D&B scene to pieces; refusal is impossible...