Braindead Entertainment At Juno Download

Review: Punishing dubstep pressure from Footsie here in his controversial and incendiary "1 Spliff" on Braindead Entertainment. Pungent grime lyrics are spat over the most enormous of Noisia-esque basslines, whilst smashing snares and rippling bass dominate with quirky vocal riff laid over the top for the full effect. The accompanying cut "Duppy Mekka" is a rather different beast with lilting, dub-influenced intro with grimy bass and shimmying keys before dropping into a filthy dubstepping monster with bleepy synth work and rumbling subs!

Review: Simple but crucially effective; "1 Spliff" takes a miniscule sample hit from Billy Boyo, pitches it up and loops it for maximum rabble-rousing. Soft enough to give Newham General Footsie the full floor but clever enough to keep the groove moving, it's a textbook lesson in how grime can be very groovy. "Duppy Mekka" opens as a much deeper, classically dubbed affair before dropping into shiny metallic alien bass and trap-style horn work. One climax-track and one bare instrumental work-out - two examples of Footsie at his finest.

Review: Best know for his work as one half of Newham Generals, Footsie is nevertheless a strong grime producer in his own right, as this compilation of his work from 2004-2006 demonstrates. The sheer amount of material (22 tracks) can be quite overwhelming, but they all ooze quality; from the dark, dubby, square wave stepper of "Scars" which kicks things off, through the frantic strings and squelch of "Back To '95), the exotic tones and stop-start mechanics of "Dats Normal" and the frankly killer "Showerman Time", this compilation comes highly recommended.

Review: Expect deftly delivered beats in a souped up urban grime landscape here as Footsie (one half of Newham Generals) teams up with Fei Fei for "Torture" on the Braindead Entertainment imprint. The track begins with crackling white noise ridden beats, whirring synths, hissing hi hats before the tune drops and the fast paced lyrics enter the equation. Be prepared for an aural onslaught as Footsie brings the badness, with the reverberating and ominously articulated "Torture" repeated amongst the bars. Also worth checking is the LAXX remix which works in the vocal well but at the same time strips things back to a more simple rhythm and flavour. A radio edit and instrumental accompany.

Review: Newham's finest let loose with a fly fiver tracker that tips a serious nod to dubstep's formative funk while shaking hands firmly with the future. Tubby plays the lead with three cuts, each sprung with a refreshing subbed out skank. "Madd One" is tribal with techno tendencies, all loopy and hypnotic. "Roll 'Em" is your standard haunted house procedure while "Real Life" weaves street soul with serious high end screams. Let's not forget Footsie, though; "No More 45" (a collabo with Dada) is the real reload of the set complete with an ace toast-up sample and a synapse snapping drop. "Hustling" flips the switch once more, easing you in with a dreamy, cosy vibe before the sinewy stabs do the business.

Review: Ironic title alert! Erstwhile Roll Deeper Trim isn't really "the one with the sat nav walking"...this cat knows where he's going already. He has done since his early days almost a decade ago. Here we find him in a cheery mood, referencing playground rhymes over a charming halfstep grizzle. With cheeky glitches on the fills, it's the perfect balance of grime angst and warmer, bass music motifs. Naturally the remixes rock; Tubby gets all deep and spacious while Jaaku adds a classic dub skank. Nuff said: no directions needed.