Back Catalogue

Review: Soul Motive have always been representative of the current strains of Bristol's ever flourishing tapestry of music scenes so it makes perfect sense that the label would call on the Young Echo collective sooner or later. After some notable releases for fellow Bristol hubs Idle Hands and Punch Drunk, Kahn steps forth with another example of his undoubted talent for making music that spans the shades of the bass music spectrum with the rowdy yet soulful 2 step bump of "Angeles." This is Kahn in smooth mode, demonstrating his prowess at weaving vocals so that they form an integral part of the rhythm. Fellow Punch Drunk acolyte Superisk ensures it's an all Bristol affair with a remix that dampens the soulful nature in favour of something altogether darker.

Review: As one of the most active members of the Young Echo collective, Kahn has already revealed a sizable spread of styles in his output, and this latest emission for Idle Hands flips the script once again. It's an emotive and linear place we find Kahn in on "Margeaux Pt 1", as a bouncy 2-step beat and chirpy bassline get offset by dense layers of heavily treated vocal from Kahn himself, creating a pastoral kind of vibe as the end result. Meanwhile "Margeaux Pt 2" spaces things out with a more jagged beat and a brooding bottom end, while obviously continuing the theme found on Part 1.

Review: The brand new alias of D&B-turned-techno producer Raiden, Kamikaze Space Programme has been a buzzword in underground music circles of late, and no wonder - this is top class and super sharp bass-heavy techno for the modern consumer. "Black Lagoon" kicks the Haas Effect EP off with some deeply hypnotic rhythms and inky black bass, whilst "Minus 28" continues the sublime musical magic with razor sharp synths, Metalheadz style humming and murmuring subs. "Crusoe On Mars" is another quirky cut, with gong-like SFX and shuffling beats, before "Trouble" rounds things off on a more sparse and stripped back note.

Review: The first Heavy Bass Champions release of 2012 from the venerable electro-club label Trouble & Bass sees Bristol's Kenji Kinetic finally dropping some originals after a standout remix of Drop The Lime. On "Jinx", Kenji rocks a fierce mid-130s tempo and switches brilliantly between a dry, Bmore beat and a thick, bassy beat. "NWO" bears more grime influence, while "Frontier" goes on an all out Rustie-style half-step odyssey.

Review: Back in the 1990s, R&S sister label Apollo used to be home to twinkling electronica, eyes-wide-shut ambience and related downtempo oddities. Now it's been resurrected to offer a contemporary take on leftfield electronica and downtempo goodness. In the case of Kasket's breezy August Fades EP, that means a mix of dewy-eyed spoken word samples, indie-ish vocals, shimmering melodies, off-kilter bass music rhythms and, most strangely, auto-tune vocals (see closer "August Fades"). Oh, and some rather nice strings. It's an odd mixture, all told, but one that demands repeat listens. There's a lot going on, and much of it is excellent.

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: The Symbol Recordings head honcho, Kastle, continues his string of one-off treats with this newie featuring JMSN (aka Christian Berishaj). It's a catchy, low-slung leftfield RnB track boasting smooth Timberlake-esque vocals from the rising singer/producer/fashion designer that's almost guaranteed to increase your chances in getting jiggy with da ladieez (almost).

Review: Kelpe returns to Svetlana Industries with a ferocious mixture of futuristic beats and bleeps. "Bags Of Time" is a grinding, twisted, quasi 4/4 bass track engineered specifically for all your boogie needs. Next up, "Double Punt" is a surprisingly daring number, where a lazy, disjointed mass of a beat is reassembled into place thanks to powerfully mutating basses and a spine-chilling organ melody. Neon Jung's remix of the title track sees quick-firing snares and hi-hats circle hysterically from side to side, only to be engulfed by the smooth chords that accompany it. Kelpe rounds things off with the aptly named "City", a fuzzy, hip-hop influenced beat verging onto the stranger and more subdued strains of electro. Audacious electronic blends.

Review: Making his first appearance on Svetlana Industries, endearing beat-botherer Kelpe has a full-bodied EP to share that extols the virtues of toasty synth lines, ramshackle beats and wild sample arrangement. "I Felt Fuzzy" has a definite sun kissed quality to it, as soothing coos provide vital melodic content before getting drowned out by psychedelic arpeggio washes, while the percussion rumbles and tumbles over itself in an easy funk. "Cola Mine" is more jagged, taking a heavy-edit approach that leaves plenty of space for all the elements in the track to get down. There's a beat-scene quality to the music, but with a clearer groove to align the dizzying detail to.

Review: After releases on Squelch and Clap, Matt Relton aka Kidnap Kid steps up with this new trio of songs for Black Butter. Already boasting DJ support from Skream, Redlight, Martelo and Jaymo, the EP gets off to a killer start with the swirling 2-step of "Vehl", which fans of Deadboy will instantly take to, while "Lazarus Taxon" smoothes out proceedings a little with a boogie acapella thrown over a bubbly, chopped bass beat, while the creeping intro to "Be More" and the ushering in of some stellar snares might just be the highpoint of this hugely impressive EP.

Review: Keeping it inventive, Kimp Vasko shakes things up with this release on Prospekt curiously entitled "Smoke Signals". Kicking off with "Jardela" we are treated to a flurry of glitch, techno infused beats and whirring atmospherics with bassline buzz; then it's on to "Baleria" with its more synth-led Ibiza house feel. "Matxete" keeps things interesting with its quirky rhythms and blissed out atmospheres, whilst "Wildfire" is all tripped out beats and bleepy synth soaring melodies before "Retro" brings the EP to a finish.

Review: Having already bolstered the Night Slugs mission across an EP and occasional other appearances, Kingdom returns to his neon-lit home with more of that R&B flavoured business. "Let You No" rides one of those quintessential clean, precise dubstep beats that the NS crew love so well, while the melodies fall thick and bright around a decisive vocal rip. It's immaculately produced, while "Stalker Ha" manages to eke out more of an edge with some wild samples and hits over a more punchy UK Funky beat. "Dreama" sees Kingdom exploring his sound more, slowing the beat down to let his imaginative synth work fly free. Check it.

Review: It could be said that calling your own tune a "Game Changer" is quite an audacious move. Thankfully Kingthing has the chops to deliver a strikingly unique production such as this, so he gets off the hook. Brooding isn't the half it with the title tune being a mean and moody afterhours creepathon featuring warped, low-pitch vocals, incessant wood block hits and mournful setlines. In other words: awesome! "Who Needs Enemies" is harder - boomy and deep, but with techy beats and unrelenting industrial noise loops.

Review: A cursory listen to this EP would easily lead the listener to believe it was made by some underground British bass guy who wears his baseball caps sideways. But they'd be wrong; Klaves is actually 21 year old producer Mikolaj Gramowski from Poland who has pretty much beaten the British producers at their own game: "You" is an awesome blend of late 90s garage and house. "Hope It Gets To Love" is sassy future garage, and our fave is the Fault Lines remix - a slamming house scorcher featuring the kind of thumping kick not head since "Da Funk"!

Review: Riderz of the sonic storm, the Canadian duo continue their well-received adventures into rainbow electro with this ace balance of West coast bass sleaze and Mohawk style vibrancy. With a cheeky VIP and remixes by the likes of XLII (guitar-bashing) Shiftee (dreamy drone shuffle), Warsnare (pumping future-bass), Goosebumps (whimsical psychedelia) and Sun In Aquarius (trippy sleepless bass) it's a glittering groove that's been represented in myriad positive ways. "Imma Go Hard" finishes the set with a raw ghetto funk adieu.

Review: Inspired by some time spent in Shanghai, the Hyperdub main man makes a long-awaited return with this no-messing two tracker that sees him venturing into ever more curious realms of rhythmic abstraction. "Xingfu Lu" shudders on a trap-like framework, sparse but heavy hitting all in the same breath. The melodies sport that oddly comforting sense of otherworldliness that has always characterised Steve Goodman's musicality even as the groove playfully fits and starts. "Kan" is a more feisty proposition, moving erratically between different motifs and getting even twitchier in the drums department while found sounds slip in between the miniscule cracks between the hats and snares. It's a bewildering effect that suggests interesting pastures new are in sight for Kode 9.

Review: Ever committed to their position on the wild frontier of glossy party sounds, the first Numbers release of 2012 reveals a brand new production duo from London who go by the name of Kodiak. Kicking off on a jagged UK Funky rhythm, "Spreo Superbus" piles on the drama from the first bars as whipcrack snare delays and rushy synth pitch bends lead to the first of many drops. The production is immaculate, packing scores of detail into the framework, from ranging synths to a multitude of vocal snippets, off beat bass stabs and clattering yet precise percussion. Tempering those rambunctious attributes, Actress snakes in with his Uraeus remix and pares things down instantly with a low slung beat, spacious chords and vaporous hisses. It's not until the twilight of the track that a nasty bassline comes crawling in to ruffle the feathers of its sonic compatriots. Girl Unit isn't pulling any punches with his reworking, riding a smoother beat but keeping the delirious synth energy of the original intact before slamming down into an electro-fied freak-out full of edgy ripples of melody. While the remixes do well to give credit to the source, it's the original that really shines on this release for sheer flair and studio prowess, not to mention a deadly knack for creating hype out of pure digital freakery.