Bestsellers This Week

Review: Appearing on D Bridge & Instra:mental's acclaimed Autonomic mix for fabriclive, signing to Hotflush, and running a series of successful record labels with long term partner ASC is no mean feat. But that's exactly what Vaccine's done. The bittersweet "Ochre" is full of echoing, anguished male vocals and a poignant intensity. The preoccupation with synaesthesia that we've seen with Joker, Gemmy, Guido and Ital Tek continues once again here, and it's a murky, mustard, earthy hue this time. "Cascade Failure", a more mellow, melodic and contemplative cut, with evocative synths and samples, sees things get even more entrenched in the human psyche and feelings of consciousness. It shows Vaccine is not just a versatile and talented producer, but also very much on top of her game.

Review: Torsten Profrock?s T++ project has continually spread its wings since conception in 2005. Championed by fans of techno, dubstep, experimental and drum & bass alike, his latest EP for Honest Jons (and rumoured to be his last under this monkier) showcases the amalgamation of styles and sounds that has earnt the German such a far reaching fanbase.

If it does prove to be the final T++ release ever, then the alias will have left us with the most expressive and energetic of his works. Adding a real sense of personality, Profrock unearthed a handful of samples of the singer and ndingidi player Ssekinomu, recorded in East Africa in the 1930s and 40s in the label?s vaults for this release. Skilfully, the producer works these snippets into the complex rhythm structures, giving his music a human touch that has never been seen before. Profrock looks to the radical fringe of UK garage for the snapping 2 step vibe in these rhythms that remain central to all four tracks on the EP. This results in a clutch of tracks that take on an immensely tribal and subconsciously innate feel. They morph new structures from the forms of 2 step, techno and drum & bass around which Profrock wraps twisted FX and weighty sub bass to create one whole, throbbing organism.

So with quite possibly his final release, T++ leaves us, rather fittingly, with a record that sounds at once both ancient and modern. It has a totally unique tone, like a form of tribal language that can only speak to and be understood by today?s culture through these sub-heavy, atmospheric sounds.

Review: Having delivered two killer white label affairs last year which catapulted him into the big leagues of dubstep/techno crossover producers, Objekt returns on Hessle Audio with the label's first release in almost a year. The wobbling bassline of "Cactus", premiered on Ben UFO's Rinse:16 mix, recalls Mala's savage productions, tweaking the oscillators just enough to make the bass scream whilst keeping things tasteful, despite its crazed metamorphosis into a raygun at the halfway point. Flipside "Porcupine" meanwhile is militant techno with all the purity and focus of Jeff Mills' best productions, a maelstrom of pummelling beats and swimming chords with a diamond-like beauty despite its pneumatic ferocity. In a word: essential.

Review: Arriving in a fashion not dissimilar to the all encompassing deviations from Burial is "Far Nearer", the long awaited drop from The xx's Jamie - courtesy of the always on point Numbers imprint. Subject to many a YouTube appearance over the months, this charming steel drum infused summer jam can finally be enjoyed after potential sampling issues were circumnavigated by the smudged vocal that runs throughout being re-recorded. It's perhaps too twee and gentle to drop in the midst of a set, though it will certainly have the requisite effect should you deem to slip it in at the end! Complementing this, "Beat For" channels darker sounds, with off kilter drum drops at the core surrounded by gut punching sub bass undulations, bubbling sonics and pitched out vocals with punching throwback house riffs giving the track rhythmic impetus.

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: The inimitable chunkiness of the Trouble & Bass stable come to bear once more on Little Jinder's pop sensibilities after something of a three year gap, making for a ramshackle but on-point nugget of a single. The slow-paced electro of the original has a definite penchant for 80s chart busters, which Starkey neatly slices up for a kinetic slice of thoroughly modern dubstep. Deadboy gets some euphoric piano and string stabs going in his summery take, and Distal takes a lighthearted breakbeat approach with his usual jukey drum fills. Colourfully diverse from start to finish.

Review: Surge steps up for a truly excellent release on N-Type's Wheel & Deal. Proper, bonafide dubstep is the aim of the game here, with an ominous, atmospheric intro with gloomy pads and cooing vocal element adding a warm glow to the otherwise bleak outset. A shimmy of synths, bass wobbles and souped up synths kick in and the dreamy, breathy vocal courtesy of Pyxis floats atop. Next up, Surge goes solo in "Swaying Mantis" which is all lurching rhythms, grinding synths, weighty bass flavours and understated menace.

Review: Benton steps up with a powerful, pounding release on the mighty Wheel & Deal, which of course, is owned by none other than dubstep don N-Type. Title track "Wormholes" is all thumping drums and echoing bass wobbles with punishing sub bass pressure to add further weight to the madness. Accompanying this is the aptly entitled "Sleepless" which is all insomnia-driven beats, yearning synths, tense hi-hats, eerie SFX and a steady, pummelling wave of bass.

Review: N Type's Wheel & Deal camp finally, finally drop Benton's killer "20/20"! The cinematic creeper has been racking up views on YouTube since the turn of 2011, and it's not hard to see why the clamour for release is there. Steadily building from its misty beginnings "20/20" excels at subtly combining stripped down steppah riddims with cavernous bass with sly ripples of spectral utterings and scraping echoed synth lines. The flip borrows more than the title from the mid 70s Connery classic Zardoz, lifting the iconic speech from the godlike figurehead central to the film and dropping it amidst a perma snapping purple tinged half step face screwer!

Review: Growling, menacing, downright filthy half step business here from LX One aka Joker D. "You", released on N-Type's Wheel & Deal imprint, is characterised by bone shuddering levels of sub bass and smouldering atmosphercs - and the mid section drop is ridiculous! Next up the ticking, creaking intro of "Give It Up" leads you gently into mayhem marked by pin prick bleeps and more of that sweet sweet bass. Big release.

Review: Stadium breakbeat alert! Pyramid continue their high impact antics on Funkatech with this epic vocal roller that has such startling rave-ballad energy it'll have the crowd reaching for their lighters in no more than 13seconds. Seriously, you could play this in your living room and your neighbour will be out in the garden with his hands aloft, lighter waving away. Not just perfect for the party, then; this is also ideal if you need to light a candle and have run out of matches. The stabby, gritty "Super Chief" is a whole other story; at parts so filthy it would make a sailor at a swear competition blush, at others so dreamy and twinkly it'll have you quitting your job to write lullabies for a living, handle this one with the utmost care.

Review: Do not panic - Radiohead's "Creep" did not get harmed in the making of this deviously dark EP. In fact Brownz and Requake have proof that no Radiohead album was within a 10 mile vicinity of their mysterious Belgian beat lair. Anyway, who needs mournful rock music when you're pressing all of dubstep's best moody buttons? Three cuts are on offer here; the trio's sparse, stuttering original headlines the set with sharp production prowess while Brownz's own "They Don't Sleep" acts as a fine alternative for earlier, mood-setting slots or deeper mixes. Requake ensures the final chapter in this sonic saga is littered with interesting rhythms and intricate bass layers aplenty thanks to his remix of "They Don't Sleep".

Review: Palatial space galore as Aussie dubber Droid Sector gets whacked out on Holland's finest. "Catharsis" marches forth under a cloud of suspicious pads and classic reverbed synth action, making it a great intro or green light for sudden mood switcher in your set. Alarmingly, the B-Side title "Sarcophagus" references a funeral receptacle for a corpse! Luckily it lives up to its killer moniker thanks to a distorted vocal sample and the menacing bass murmurs. But if you ask us, sarcophagus should mean sarcastic dinosaur. We digress... This is a worthy check-out for all steppers.

Review: As one of the first labels to springboard off of the creative potential of dubstep, Ramp has hit release number 50 and what better way to celebrate than by looking back over some of the strongest tracks they've put out in six years. In terms of style, no one track is easy to pinpoint let alone the whole compilation, as you would expect from the likes of Zomby, 2562, Ras G, Doc Daneeka and lots more. The unifying theme would be one of bright, colourful but most importantly imaginative electronic that favours the bump n grind to the all out stomp.

Review: A brand new entry from Killawatt & Ipman here as they kick off Boka Artillery Vol 1 with two amazing Deep Medhi meets Tempa sounding cuts which will have old skool dubstep heads quaking in their boots. It's half-stepping vibes a-plenty here, as "Xilbaba" gets things started with a gigantic swagger. A dark, oleaginous bassline sits below snapping snares and festers in a deep, weighty soundscape and SFX echo in the vast expanse of space. Next, Ipman goes solo in the equally as superb "Mob Mentality" - a track full of ominous strings, booming sub bass, menacing synths and laboured, hollow clapping beats.

Review: Legends of the breaks scene, Stanton Warriors drop some chunky bassline fodder with their party-starting mentality. "Turn Me Up Some" is on a broken beat tip with its off-beat snares, but really you know what to expect by now! The remix package covers all bases, with bouncy dubstep from Shockone's version, a strange hybrid of electro house and dubstep from Bombs Away, and the swung D&B vibe that Andy C & Shimon favoured on "Bodyrock", courtesy of Northie.

Review: Benny Page turns up on Dutch label Subway with two incendiary cuts. "Original Killa" finally sees the release fans have been craving, a long lost classic hammered by Youngsta and N Type back in the day. It still stands up now, dripping with low end menace and dubby atmospherics! Accompanying track "Take You Back" features a pitched down vocal line intoning "I'll take you back to the deep dark jungle", which holds its line as smacking drum hits and arppegiated rave synths tumble on top. Tip!

Review: Bringing in the reggae flavours to the funky, hip-shaking track "Test Me", Depone gets off to a great start in this three track EP on Zed Audio. Falling into a bonafide dubstep riddim with whomping subs and compelling melody, the track progresses until we move on to "Cellular Structure", up next, which has a more Caspa style feel to it, with swaggering bassline, taught SFX and smacking snares. Final track "Sensi Riddim" pairs hectic, Doctor P style high pitched squeals and ditties with bashing beats and whirring mid range, bringing the EP to a dizzying climax.