Marcus Intalex At Juno Download

Review: Having waited some 21 years to produce his debut solo full-length, we perhaps shouldn't be surprised that D&B veteran Marcus Intallex has pushed the boat out a little. Yet even his most ferocious fans may be more than a little surprised by the breathtaking scope of 21. There are collaborations by the bootload most notably with Lynx & Danny Fierce, SPY and Zed Bias excursions into two-step jungle, future house and dubstep-acid, and even a suitably atmospheric cover of Radiohead's "Climbing Up The Walls". Plus, of course, a brilliant selection of alien D&B jams in his own inimitable style. It may have taken two decades to materialize, but it was definitely worth the wait.

Review: A man renowned for giving a masterclass in soulful, deeper D&B steps up for his next release on Psylence's ever-impressive Ingredients imprint (a label which has been impressing with both the quality and quantity of its output of late). First up is title track "Cabal" with its long, echoing intro full of clop clop beats and eerie atmospherics, dropping into a meditative roller with wailing bass and ticking breaks. Accompanying this is "Mud" which is another cracking track full of murmuring SFX, rolling b-line and gentle, delicate details.

Review: There's no such thing as a drum & bass set without an inclusion of Marcus Intalex somewhere along the way. The Mancunian producer and DJ has proved his mettle so many times over the past decade and more that it's almost impossible to imagine what the genre was like before his techy nuances and intelligent rollers came to be. Appearing on Metalheadz for some hard-hitting set smashers this time, "Riots" owns that kick drum like it's the last one on earth. Keeping that trademark Intalex style it's a fairly minimal piece of straight-up dirty d&b. "Hell 2 Pay" picks up the snares in a jungle style on the flip, making use of that famous pinpoint production precision. Add some doomsday bass and you've got yourself a winner.

Review: D&B's premier amateur golfer delivers the goods with this impeccable release on Ant & TC1's Dispatch label. A Side "Stark" is a serious slice of future funk, a flawless Giorgio Moroder influenced journey into Blade Runner territory with arpeggiated synths and tight, snappy snares the order of the day. For the flip, "Virgo" rides in on a melodic, sunkissed vibe, reminiscent of Soul:R's classic days of liquid dominance. A serious return to form for Manchester's finest who gets a hole in one, as standard.

Review: Soul:r boss Marcus Intalex steps up with a sampler from his forthcoming album 21, and these two exclusive non-album tracks provide a delectable taster of what is to come. Teaming up with Carlos S.P.Y on "Triband", the pair take things on a cool, understated, but driving neurofunk tip, replete with ticking breaks, raw bassline pressure and rolling subs to get the blood pumping. Up next, "Steady" is a much more Soul:r flavoured slice of musical medicine, with cooing atmospherics, dreamy pads and a scintillating sense of expectancy.