Back Catalogue

Review: If you judge a producer by their ability to successfully apply a winning formula to a variety of styles, Alix Perez is a master. While drum and bass remains his forte, there's enough on Chroma Chords, his second album, to suggest that he's growing as a producer. This EP discards with the synth-laden head nodders featured on the full album, though the four tracks here do still demonstrate the versatile nature of Chroma Chords. Thus the grimy hip hop of the Metropolis featuring "Blue Print" shares space with the soulful stepping action of "Playing Games" whilst the the excellent vintage Timbaaland does halfstep of "Shadows" (featuring breakout Eglo talent Strange U") joins up with the vicious "Burnout".

Review: Crisp, on point production meets lo-fi aesthetics in "Half Out", the first track on this two sider by Manchester-based techno/house rising star Paleman. Simple and emotive, his influences clearly come from the garage and deep house section of the record store, and for that there's a real depth to his sound. "Etch" is a slightly more flamboyant affair - if there ever was such a word in Paleman's vocabulary - with bruising techno kicks underpinning a series of percussive sections and a seriously addictive bassline. If this tune isn't gracing the pinnacle of the night in your local discotheque, you're going to the wrong places, mate.

Review: The eleventh release for UK future bass imprint Prospekt is helmed by Pan, who delivers one serious double whammy of an EP. "E11" is a ferocious slice of DnB - cold, clean and menacing. The other blow is a deceptively softer one, with "Mute" being a downtempo piece, but still with precision mechanical beats: perfect for Sunday afternoon sessions.

Review: Pearson Sound's last EP, Clutch, saw the producer delve into considerably more experimental territory than previous releases with three stripped back, grime-influenced productions that travelled into the realms of abstraction. REM, released on the producer's own imprint, sees Pearson Sound continue to develop this approach with four similarly essential tracks from the Hessle Audio man; the title track provides an atmospheric combination of cubist rhythm structures and raw tones, while "Gridlock" builds layers of D&B-like percussion over regular sub bass intervals. "Figment" meanwhile is almost Actress-like in its understated beauty; only "Crimson (Beat Mix)" is most recognisably Kennedy's work, thanks to its clattering filtered snares which swim in a soup of tripped out reverb and melancholy chords.

Review: It's been three years since Peverelist released anything on his own Punch Drunk label; of late his productions have come out primarily on the Livity Sound imprint he runs with Kowton and Asusu, or on Hessle Audio. Here he returns to Punch Drunk in triumphant form, using the truncated Pev name to drop two versions with fellow Bristolian Jacob Martin, best known for his solo productions as Hodge, and his work as one half of Idle Hands house duo Outboxx. Entitled Bells, the single sees two takes on the same track; given both Martin's house credentials and Ford's dubstep past and recent forays into slower rhythmic terrain it's no surprise that both tracks are steady, mid-tempo house imbued with Bristol's bass-weight heritage. "Bells (System Mix)" employs syncopated kicks and dub chords over its tunnelling bass, while "Bells (Dream Sequence)" is a more linear Chicago-inspired house cut with distant chimes and abstract synth textures, sounding not unlike some of the dreamier fare released on MOS Recordings.

Review: After pairing up for the "Paranormal Activity" release back in 2011, the Tectonic main man and one of the most dynamic producers to come out of the UK funky scene team up for another round. "Shoulda Rolla" is an impeccable, unfussy dubstep groover with classic icy textures, snappy percussion and an anchoring bass wobble that was born to work the dance without any showboating tactics. Roska goes it alone on "Asbestos" with an equally moody slice of rhythmic function that cruises at 140 while the synths come in blasts of robotic weirdness. Like so many of the great Tectonic 12"s, you're presented with a pair of club-focused stompers that keep the dubstep dream alive.