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CRIT 015
07 Mar 05 Drum And Bass
CRIT 025
28 Dec 06 Drum And Bass
CRIT 062
02 Apr 12 Drum And Bass
Review:
A much loved figure across the D&B spectrum, Break brings us his next utterance on none other than Critical Music, who are enjoying their time in the limelight at the moment, following Kasra's recent Fabriclive mix. Here, we see Break doing what he does best in "Here We Go" as he goes in hard and fast, with pounding bass; those unmistakable Break er, breaks; and plenty of fury in the grinding synths which pepper this spectacular release. "Soundwaves", in some ways a slightly less intense cut, pairs a muffled reggae vocal, with almost impenetrable sub bass and low-end frequencies.
CRIT 042
18 Jan 10 Drum And Bass
CRIT 035
24 Sep 08 Drum And Bass
CRIT 021
10 Apr 06 Drum And Bass
CRIT 030
24 Apr 08 Drum And Bass
CRIT 014
17 Jan 05 Drum And Bass
CRIT 012
05 Jul 04 Drum And Bass
CRIT 036
17 Nov 08 Drum And Bass
CRIT 022
05 Jun 06 Drum And Bass
CRIT 016
20 Jun 05 Drum And Bass
CRIT 059
07 Nov 11 Drum And Bass
Review:
The renowned and revered Irish master returns, this time with a release on Kasra's Critical Music. "Piano Bizness" is all lilting, melancholy piano keys, minimal beats, ticking hi-hats and an airy soundscape. It develops gradually into a lovely little roller with delicate rhythms and echoing vocal element. Its accompaniment "Smooth Baby" is another gem, featuring warping b-line, snapping, clicking drums and a quirky, cheeky character which will no doubt make it a surefire hit with hardened Calibre fans new and old.
CRIT 009
24 Nov 03 Drum And Bass
CRIT 011
01 Oct 03 Drum And Bass
CRIT 027
14 May 07 Drum And Bass
CRIT 026
12 Mar 07 Drum And Bass
CRIT 055
16 May 11 Drum And Bass
Review:
London based drum and bass label Critical Music announce their staggering 55th release straight from the studio of SP:MC, Jubei and Dakuan, aka, Code 3, whose contributions to the genre haven't gone unnoticed in recent years. "What You Sayin" opens with simple two-tone chords and staggered break, eventually pounding into fearless snares and thudding subs. Intriguingly subtle at times, smooth keys dive and duck between the heavy drums and thunderous bass lines. The unique combination of the two tempos propel "What You Sayin" into the realm of D&B elegance. Over the page, "Double Dipped" intros with tremendous breaks, spaced out pads and a double bass that's far too easy to get lost in.
CRIT 050
07 Dec 10 Drum And Bass
CRIT 063D
14 May 12 Drum And Bass
CRIT 070D
13 May 13 Drum And Bass
Review:
Emperor began his journey not so long ago with his own brand of drum & bass that reaches beyond the depths. This EP sets out in stone his arrival into the inner circle. Starting off with the hauntingly savage "Begin" featuring the silken tones of Georgia Yates, there is no let up in the speed or accuracy with which tunes are flung forward. "She Said" is a double bass stepper Roni Size would be envious of, "Radar" rips through minimal synths at hyperspeed, "Precursor"'s strange, offset tape noise intro gives way to serious bass tremors and "Solar", featuring fellow English bass terroriser Centra blasts partway through the universe with huge neuro shockwaves. A serious contender for EP of the year so far.
CRITCD 05D
12 Nov 12 Drum And Bass
Played by: Shroombab, Zoom, Tchphnx, Syncopix, Diplo, Euphonique, Mat Zo, S Man, Critical Music, Subtension
Review:
After much anticipation, Enei finally brings us his debut album on Critical. The universally respected young Russian artist has done nothing but impress since he burst onto the D&B scene a few years ago. And safe to say, Machines lives up to all the hype and expectation. Bringing together all the elements that make up his characteristic sound expect tough, tech-y terseness alongside sparse, minimal moments and driving energy. The title track gets things off to a great start with its infectious, pulsing energy. Elsewhere watch out for tracks like the vocal-driven loveliness of "Runnin (feat. Georgia Yates)" as well as the bleep n click-y "I Don't Know", the moodiness of "Thin Line", plus a VIP of old favourite "Cracker" and a June Miller remix of "Movin Fast". A superb debut from Enei.
CRIT 057EP
08 Aug 11 Drum And Bass
Played by: Neil Horizons, Sharps, Zoom, A Dominant Species, Syncopix, Juno Recommends Drum & Bass, State Of Mind, Sevin, Need For Mirrors, Breakbeat.is, Triad
Review:
Enei is an artist who has been massively blowing up in the D&B scene in the past year, and here he cements his reputation as one of Saint Petersburg's finest on Kasra's Critical imprint. The title track "Stonehead" is all trademark sharp, snapping breaks punctuated by a vitriolic gangster-style vocal urging us to "trust me", with a rolling b-line below. "No Fear", up next, features the lyrical prowess of Riya, who brings in a female Kemo style rap vocal to fidgeting drums and Ramadanman-meets-Rockwell SFX. Enei ups the dancefloor vibes in "Movin Fast" which has a trancey synth-led intro, with punchy drums and warping SFX, dropping into a bonafide banger. Last and not least, Jubei goes in on the remix duties for previous hit "Cracker", transforming it into an even moodier meditation.
CRIT 052
14 Feb 11 Drum And Bass
Played by: Marcel Knopf, Mage, Juno Recommends Drum & Bass, Ulterior Motive, Hospital Records DJ Chart, Critical Music
Review:
Highly anticipated and hotly tipped release from Russian producer Enei (who, incidentally, also produces dubstep with two others under the Giant alias), Eastcolours and Noel. This one's had heavy club rotation from across the board and no wonder it's a tough, taught roller with lacerating breaks, searing b-line which tears through the fabric of the music mercilessly with pounding subs, distanced, distorted vocal sampling and punchy delivery. "Danger Dance" pairs clicking beats with trademark enormous bassline and shimmying drum rolls in the manner of Alix Perez or Spectrasoul, marking another shining success for Kasra's Critical imprint.
CRIT 064EP
11 Jun 12 Drum And Bass
Played by: Juno Recommends Drum & Bass, Hero Records, Mutated Forms, Liz-E, Mikal, Diphasic, Emperor, Critical Music
CRIT 060EP
28 Nov 11 Drum And Bass
Played by: Unknown Error, A Dominant Species, Syncopix, Ant Tc1, Extent Recordings, Foreign Concept, Digitalworkx, Emperor, Critical Music
Review:
Hold tight Critical crew; Kasra's got a new series in the pipeline, as Critical Presents: Sequence One. Bringing together four gems from some of the hottest artists who have gravitated to the London label in 2011, this is a must buy for the discerning D&B fan. Russian-based emerging star Enei, with the hypnotic, ominous bass-laden "Obsession" (feat. DRS) features, as do Bournemouth duo Ulterior Motive with their suitably tech-ed up monster "Divergence". Also on there is Neosignal's Phace, live and direct from Germany with the punishing, neuro-tinged "Freedom Of Filth", and finally label owner Kasra makes an appearance with Jubei on "The Rift". Big, bad and heavy.
CRIT 044
19 Mar 10 Drum And Bass
CRIT 058D
24 Oct 11 Drum And Bass
Played by: Juno Recommends Drum & Bass, Terminal State (Vanguard Audio), Foreign Concept, Critical Music
Review:
Fresh from his recent excellent outing on the Shogun Audio's Way Of The Warrior compilation, Brighton-based Foreign Concept weighs in with three heavyweight tracks for Critical. Kicking proceedings off, "Mob Justice" is a heads down, stripped back roller underpinned by deadly subs. Label boss Kasra joins in the fun on "Show Me" which intros with a Robert Owens style vocal before the darkness descends. Finally, "Babyfaced Battleaxe" is a dubstep monster with a catchy old skool vocal hook. Yet another sterling effort from the Critical camp.
CRIT 019
05 Dec 05 Drum And Bass
CRIT 031
27 May 08 Drum And Bass
CRIT 008
01 Apr 03 Drum And Bass
CRIT 029
23 Jul 07 Drum And Bass
CRIT 069
18 Mar 13 Drum And Bass
Played by: Ronin Selecta [bassdrive.com], Juno Recommends Drum & Bass, Sunchase, Philth, The Upbeats
Review:
Always on top of their game, Critical's mastermind Kasra rips two hard-hitting tracks from his personal collection of pre-release dubs and makes them available to mere mortals. First track "Signalz", by dark neuro powerhouse Mefjus, is a stroppy, storming blaze through time and space. Faster than the speed of light and nasty enough to give the Neosignal guys a run for their money, it's already detonating dancefloors the world over. Kasra's own darkly dangerous stepper "Cypher" takes the flip, combining dirty synths and cinematic tension to create the most perfect drum and bass skank-along track this year has seen so far. As with all Critical releases, bag on sight.
CRIT 028
11 Jun 07 Drum And Bass
CRIT 010
01 Aug 03 Drum And Bass
CRIT 051
31 Jan 11 Drum And Bass
Played by: Zoom, Ronin Selecta [bassdrive.com], Be-1ne, Mutated Forms, Ulterior Motive, Sevin, Anodyne Industries
Review:
The ever-rising star of 2010/11 and master of experimental beats brings us the follow up EP to his superlative Noir EP which landed on Critical around this time last year. In the title track "Aria", Rockwell blends glitchy, cinematic rhythms with sonorous, blissed out vocals and cooling instrumentals. Next, "Live For The Moment" adds a dash of funk, whilst talented duo Ulterior Motive's remix of the aforementioned "Noir" is nothing short of superlative, as they toughen it up with a super dark b-line smashing breaks and that iconic Virus-meets-Subtitles tenacity. A collab with Hemlock owner Untold backs this up in "Rehekou Sunrise", adding a shimmy of samples and soulful bliss as we reach the end of the EP.
CRIT 043EP
01 Feb 10 Drum And Bass
Review:
Up and coming DnB producer Rockwell is definitely going to be hot property very soon if he stays on this kind of form. The Noir EP showcases his production nous, as tracks like "Tribes" avoid all the tired old cliches of the genre and instead fill it with a new set of glitchy percussion sounds and intense moody bursts of total frenetic excitement. Tunes like "Stay Calm" are fairly rooted on the dark side, but it's great to hear a producer put the same amount of invention that currently goes into dubstep and use it in DnB. One to watch, get involved sooner than later.
CRITCD 04-2
29 Mar 10 Drum And Bass
CRITCD 04-MIX
05 Apr 10 Drum And Bass
CRIT 032
02 Jul 08 Drum And Bass
CRIT 039
01 Jun 09 Drum And Bass
CRIT 066
01 Oct 12 Drum And Bass
Review:
Following numerous successful releases of late, now Foreign Concept returns to the Critical spotlight. Bringing together the talents of Sabre and Riya alongside the man himself, "Injustice" is a gorgeous piece with Riya's iconic voice lending a ballad like quality, with Sabre and Foreign Concept's combined efforts on production the beats are crisp and on-point with murmuring piano keys and gentle waves of bass beneath. We then turn our attention to "Affliction" with Foreign Concept and Riya again succeeding in crafting a lovely slice of deepness with minimal beats. Classy D&B at its best - get involved.
CRIT 061D
27 Feb 12 Drum And Bass
Played by: Homegroove Project, Juno Recommends Drum & Bass, Lung, Juno Recommends Downtempo, Terminal State (Vanguard Audio), Enzo Canale, Hospital Records DJ Chart, Breakbeat.is, Liz-E, Twothirds, Barefoot, Bop, Hybrid Minds, Prplx, Critical Music
Review:
The much-anticipated three-way collaboration between Sabre, Stray and Halogenix sees the light of day as a release on Kasra's Critical Music with a stunning remix from Syknro and another original piece, "St Clair". "Oblique" is a stripped back piece of sonic wizardry with stark, tripping beats, mournful vocal and eerie atmospherics courtesy of Frank Carter III. The aforementioned "St Clair" blends chopped up vocals with monster bassline and gentle, pattering breaks to huge effect, whilst the Synkro remix of "Oblique" brings things altogether with a stylish panache.
CRITLP 04S
11 Feb 10 Drum And Bass
Played by: Juno Recommends Drum & Bass
Review:
Critical Music continues to release some of the UK's freshest sounding drum & bass. Sabre's "Marvel" takes on a more minimal and experimental approach to the sound. This is drum & bass at its slowest, its clicking percussion doing most of the work. The collaboration with Ulterior Motive, "Barefoot" is more up-beat but still manages keeps its darker, grittier sound.
CRIT 053
14 Mar 11 Drum And Bass
Played by: Juno Recommends Drum & Bass
Review:
Critical marks their 53rd release by bringing Seba and Paradox together for a super sharp release on Kasra's imprint. Featuring vocal work from Kirsty Hawkshaw, "The Light" is full of swooning lyrics, old skool piano keys with an (almost) overpowering glowering bass which rises up like the crest of a wave a couple of minutes in. Beautifully complimented by its counterpart, "As If" sees the boys tune into an altogether different vibe; cue a jungle coated, tech roller with hollow, metallic breaks, bassline thumping and reggae samples a-plenty.
CRIT 040
13 Jul 09 Drum And Bass
CRIT 023
18 Jul 06 Drum And Bass | ||
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