Brownswood UK At Juno Download

Review: For his latest signing, Gilles Peterson looks closer to home - Brighton to be precise - where he found the Anushka duo of Max Wheeler & Victoria Port. Not particularly exotic, but the music, which they describe as 'bass music from the future', covers that requirement. Theirs is a blend of deep bass, glistening synths and breaky urban beats flavoured with digital riddims ("Wired"), deep tropical ("Yes Guess") and soulful house ("I Have Love 4 You"). Definitely going places.

Review: Gilles serves up the latest installment of his label's regular and eagerly awaited compilation series. The label does have a very wide remit when it comes to A&R, but this release collects a host of fresh tracks all with soulful, organic and jazzy elements. Mellow and breezy is certainly the order of the day, with highlights include the deep and emotional house of Hackman's "Forgotten Notes", the medieval chants of Trio Tekke's (InDa alt version), the sore thumb camp disco of The White Lamp's "Make It Good" and the folktronica goodness of "Hidden Depths" by Gentlemen Of The Road.

Review: The second instalment of Brownswood's Worldwide Family series sees LA crate-digger Kutmah at the helm. A contemporary of The Gaslamp Killer, Gonjasufi and Flying Lotus (whose previously unreleased, Eastern-scaled "Samsfav" is included here), Kutmah mixes alt hip-hop like The Darkhorseman's "Taking Over Empires" with low-riding Dilla-esque funk such as Tehbis' excellent "Higher", and juke-tempoed haziness from Mono/Poly's "With Grace". Among these excellent 21 selections is also an unreleased Hudson Mohawke jam - "Are You Feeling Hot" - which fits in perfectly with the overall weird and warped slo-mo vibe.

Review: Unlike Mark Lawrence's previous releases, which are primarily expressive of the UK urban environment, Cuba Electronic relies on Latin American influences to delve deeper into the artist's own personal take on dub music. The title track on Side A sees Mala bring out his trademark percussion but this time it's more grounded in tribal roots, where skipping bongos and heavy hi-hats collide with his well-known love for subbass levels. Up next, "Calle" is further based around Cuban musical heritage, where a fast, progressive percussion makes way for stunning trumpet samples and shiny melodies. Another fine instalment of UK-flavoured electronic music from the gifted Mala!

Review: Mala's album project comes to light with a healthy amount of expectation. The DMZ / Deep Medi Musik main man has always carried a reverence amongst the dubstep scene for his unfussy approach, staying true to the sound he helped forge in the nascent days of the genre while avoiding over-exposure or buckling to hype and trend where so many of his peers succumbed to change. As such this project sees the man well outside of his comfort zone as he tackles a specific album project whilst sticking his head more clearly overground to work with Gilles Peterson on an adventure in Cuba working with local musicians. This is most definitely Mala's music, and the spiritual, tribal nature of his productions to date only gets enhanced by the influx of Cuban folk sounds. This is no simple case of ripping samples and dropping them for token effect though; the percussive patterns and licks of piano, guitar, horns and voice are completely interwoven into the South London pressure as if they were always meant to be. It's testament to the pure approach Mala takes in the studio that he manages to balance these unlikely bedfellows to such fluid effect. Undoubtedly there will be naysayers who will argue that in doing an album of this nature Mala is diluting his purist vision for dubstep, but in truth the approach and end results he has managed to conjure up bring a revitalising, fresh angle to the genre, which is what it needs in abundance. There's maybe a lack of the "shock of the new" factor as Cubano music is not exactly a stranger to UK dance music forms, and Mala isn't exactly switching his own stance too drastically, but ultimately that doesn't matter. The whole album is direct and immensely satisfying to listen to, capturing the alluring spirit of South American folk tradition and empowering it with the transcendental nature of dubstep in its finest form.

Review: Although named after a tropical island, these dubsters actually hail from the less glamorous Birmingham. That never stopped Duran Duran though, show why not these new signings to Gilles Peterson's Brownswood label too? "My Love" is a glistening slice of Caribbean indie (yes, that's right), "Lady Colour" is a piano n beats lament and the spirit of Duran haunts the decidedly synthpop "Clouds (Caresser Les Nuages)".

Review: After two very successful instalments of the Electr*c series thus far, Gilles Peterson returns with another chunky selection of artists that fit into the less organic side of his taste-maker tendencies. This time it seems that he has dug especially deep to find some fresh talent, so unfamiliar are the names on the line-up. In terms of style, there's a tendency towards rich melody across the board, from Aftawerks engrossing mellow acid workout to the contemplative juke dazzle of Jaded Laur, but there's also space for some more primal club tracks. Just check the ghetto tech flex of Frank Rodas' "Kick It VIP" for all the proof you need.