Apple Pips At Juno Download

Review: Whilst Laurie Osbourne's contribution to the hardcore continuum cannot be debated thanks to his involvement in the Skull Disco label with Shackleton, his production career as Appleblim to date has had a sense of needing the safety net of a studio partner, albeit impressive ones with collaborative releases alongside Peverelist, Ramadanman, Gatekeeper, Shackleton and most recently Komon. Finally Osbourne shows his hand at solo releases with the release of the Fluorescent single which comes via his own Apple Pips label. Both productions see Appleblim embrace the house template, albeit with a broken sensibility which is most prominent on "Flourescent". Hopefully this pair of cuts is just the start for Appleblim in solo mode.

Review: The excellent Arkist makes a welcome appearance on Appleblim's imprint with title track "Rendezvous" a heavily percussive stepper with floating vocal snippets that places it somewhere between Sepalcure and George FitzGerald. It's the spacious future boogie step of "Fill Your Coffee" that has us most excited though, one for languid 23rd Century Saturday mornings. The expansive sense of space created and plethora of deft sonic squiggles sound like what would happen if Onra upped sticks and moved to Bristol. Essential!

Review: With an ever-strengthening repertoire of low-slung, boogie inflected deep house emanating from their Bristol studio, Behling & Simpson make the surprising migration from regular haunt Futureboogie to Appleblim's Apple Pips imprint, with their production style adapting slightly for the occasion. "Where's The Oh's" is an exercise in tension and little release as a rough and scratchy 4/4 groove burrows incessantly, waiting patiently for scatty flecks of chord and bleep to cut through the taut funk intermittently. "Tape Hiss" gives a little more easily, with a rounded bass sitting comfortably under a driving house shuffle while more psychedelic textures provide the light relief.

Review: Not to be confused with the US-based, video nasty obsessed synth nerds of the same name, Bristol-based Gatekeeper's releases for the likes of Skull Disco and Punch Drunk have been few and far between but have always displayed a keen ear for progressive dubstep rhythms. This EP on Apple Pips is undoubtedly his sharpest to date - "Atmosphere Processer" utilizes a galloping breakbeat, a revving bassline and dusty synth pads for some proper Metalheadz meets contemporary Bristol vibes. "Let Us In" on the other hand is full of more suitably stripped back rhythms, but with a distinctly more dubbed out atmosphere coating its corkscrew bassline.

Review: Joe emerged last year with the incredible sounds of "Grimelight/Rut" on the famed Hessle Audio label, and now is ready to bring us his second 12" on Appleblim's Apple Pips imprint. Crackling into the audible range with delicately tapping breaks, bongo-thumping beats and soothing sonorous atmospherics, "Untitled" is a touching and melodic exploration into an inner musical consciousness. It's percussive and tribal, with distinct inklings of fellow Hesslers Ramadanman and Pangaea in the rumbling bass and stripped back grooves of the piece. Deeply meditative at its core "Digest", meanwhile, immediately snaps into action, with sizzling synths, woodblock beats and abrasive chords capturing the attention and imagination from the off. Strangely, subtly captivating, it's another finely crafted piece from a highly skilled producer. One thing's for sure?he's not your average Joe.

Review: A key lynchpin in Bristol's ever-burgeoning dubstep scene, ex-D&B producer Komonazmuk gets down to business with Dance Too, the latest release on Appleblim's Apple Pips print. A strong, weighty bassline predominates with chiming stabs and plenty of slow-burning, ganja hazed appeal. It's nicely crafted, with a glowering hum and subtle, driving current beneath it. There's no sense of dubstep's big, bad "bro-step" doppelganger in here, friends. In fact, it lends itself incredibly well - almost too well - to the deep house re-fix which Lee Jones gives it on the flip; it's stripped back grooves all the way here, with a nice use of spaciousness and vocal snatches amongst the woodpecker beats, which almost surpass the original in fact. Perfect chill out material.

Review: Bubbling Bristolian talent Orphan101 follows up releases on Saigon and his own DECA Rhythm imprint with a debut for Applepips! "Propa" kicks things off with a flurry of clicks, alarm style bleeps and midnight chimes like the cinematic soundtrack to a psychological thriller. This is soon swept away by a bone-crushingly heavy, deep DMZ style bassline, which quivers away squid bass style with light, ticking percussion sketched over the top. Juddering chords create a sense of unease, like a light flickering in the gloom or a moth's wings pattering against a bulb. This is complemented by "Disemble", which tunes into his techno sensibility much more palpably with a rippling undercurrent reminiscent of Rockwell's "Reverse Engineering'. Fractured sounds, bubbling bass and bewildering SFX build gradually on top of one other and seem to ebb and flow like organic structures before the track finishes abruptly but masterfully with an artistic musical flourish.

Review: Ben Pooley aka Phat Chex joins the Apple Pips roster with the two track Can't Stop EP, with the title track a rugged mix of sparse, steppy beats and icy synths that gradually builds into a roller that wouldn't sound out of place on the B-Side of a Sunklo 12". "Git Da Funk" is is similar in hue but retains a steadier 4/4 pulse, with clanking chord stabs giving the track an atmosphere of pregnant doom.

Review: The artist otherwise known as Marcus Intalex has been making serious waves over the past year with his techno leaning Trevino alias, and following releases on Martyn's 3024, [Naked Lunch] and The Nothing Special, he steps up to Appleblim's Apple Pips for his biggest release to date, swapping linear 4/4 for something altogether more interesting. "Indulge" is a particularly Drexciyan number complete with breakbeat rhythm and dystopian pads, while "Under Surveillance" is a significantly moodier cut which combines the atmosphere of early dubstep with a jagged electro bassline.