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Spearhead gaffer BCee returns with the 10th installment of the Juno drum and bass podcast, featuring a sprinkling of his musical highlights for October.
Juno Download has teamed up with certified drum & bass royalty Pendulum to bring you the chance to remix their latest single, “The Island”.
Our man BCee is back with another sterling D&B podcast, which sees the Spearhead Records chief mix together cuts from Netsky, Pendulum, B Complex and loads more.
Fresh back from mixing his rather excellent Spearhead Records Presents: 5 Remixed Rewired Rewound CD – our man BCee returns with the latest installment of his now industry standard D & B podcast.
Our man BCee is back with the seventh instalment of Juno’s drum and bass podcast.
UK drum and bass duo Commix will release a collection of their own tracks remixed by a select group of techno, house and dubstep cognoscenti, including Marcel Dettmann, Burial, Pangaea and A Made Up Sound.
Certified dance music royalty Underworld will release their first new material in three years, kicking off with “Scribble,” which can be downloaded for free over at their website.
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It’s been hyped for months now, with fans waiting with baited breath for its release. Finally Basher’s remix of “Here I Am” drops on this single from Mastermind, complete with three new Basher originals.
It was well worth the wait. The EZ Rollers original takes a pasting from Basher, who’s building up a glowing reputation following releases on Ram and Frequency and some white-hot DJ sets. With some heavy tech beats, an assault of different basslines and a great treatment of the vocal, it’s a proper floor-filling stick of D&B dynamite.
Just as deliriously heavy is “Veteran”, which throws some sheets of distorted white noise over the beats before cutting into an epic space-organ break that briefly gives you enough time to get your breath back again. “Stand Your Ground” yet again has everything in place to really kick a party off in a big way, worked up with some old-school breaks rattling subtly in the background. The high-pitched synth melodies of Cosmoz round off the single nicely, not to mention the incredibly massive breakdown that Basher throws in half way through, laden with female vocal samples and some huge reverbed kicks that build the tension perfectly. With plenty of plays from Radio 1 and DJ support from Simon Bassline Smith, Ruffstuff and Hype, this release is quite rightly gonna create a lot of buzz for Basher.
Review: Oliver Keens
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BBC presenter Gilles Peterson dug deep into the roots of drum and bass in his latest show on Radio 1.
Just in time for the Bank Holiday weekend, Spearhead’s BCee returns with the most essential D&B tracks of April.
Artist: Drumsound/Bassline Smith
Title: Clap Your Hands
Label: Technique
Genre: Drum And Bass
Format: 12″, Digital
Buy From: Juno Records, Juno Download
Always on top of their game, Drumsound (aka producers Andrew Wright and Ben Wigget) team up with long-time collaborator Simon “Bassline” Smith for this epic release on Technique that will no doubt keep them at the top of the D&B tree. Having dropped classics in the past such as Cold Turkey, Odyssey and Everybody Pump, they still enjoy tons of support from dj’s like Annie Mac and Zane Lowe and Clap Your Hands is likely to extend their fanbase even more.
The original is a jump-up mix of beats, churchy piano licks and some fresh gospel vocal samples that break out in the chorus to preach: “Somebody shout Hallelujah, somebody shout amen”. It’s a barrel load of fun, but if D&B’s not exactly your thing there are some excellent versions in different styles to get you on board. The House mix for example is perfectly transplanted to a 130bpm tempo and works really well as a quality electro banger. Similarly, the dubstep mix takes it down to a cool half-step and adds a lot of glitchy bass for good measure. The Phetsta mix is the one that the dj’s will want to pounce on first though, as it brilliantly switches between D&B and electro mid-song, making it a valuable tool for effortlessly changing between genres during sets. Yet again Drumsound and Bassline come up withe the goods – there’s absolutely no way you won’t be feeling this tune after just one listen.
Review: Oliver Keens
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Artist: Code 3
Title: Living Proof
Label: Exit
Genre: Drum And Bass
Format: 12″, Digital
Buy From: Juno Records, Juno Download
Exit new boys Code 3 arrive on the label to deliver their next eagerly awaited single, “Living Proof”. With them, they bring two killer tracks of their trademark dark and techy D&B science, full of unsettling atmospheres and unnerving beats.
The title track sets the scene with a paranoia inducing soundscape through walls of dread sub bass pressing against sparse, eerie atmospheres. Stepping snare placements add to the uneasy feel of open space that the listener finds themselves in. The beat pulses away steadily underneath churning bass swabs, ghostly synth stabs and haunting effects. Distorted fizz and hits bounce off each other, giving the track its groove which builds and builds throughout, dragging you further into the depths with each sinister turn. “Living Proof” immediately grips your attention, more than anything because you are too terrified to just let this menacing monster wander freely. Instead, you need to keep a watchful ear and give it your undivided attention.
On the flip, “Response Call” turns up the energy whilst retaining the atmospheric, science sound dashes. It works tough percussion with shifting rhythmic gears through throbbing bass, rooting the sound firmly in the underground. Powerful sub bass swells in the mix as effects from another world creep in once more to take the listener out of their comfort zone. An excellent debut for Exit, “Living Proof” sees Code 3 deliver some truly disturbing and soul trembling D&B. What makes their sound so special lies in their restrained ability to keep a lid on their productions and not let them spill over. Instead, they let the space and atmosphere do their devastating work.
Review: Tom Jones
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The fifth installment of the Juno drum and bass podcast is here – expertly chosen and mixed together by our resident host, Spearhead’s BCee.
Artist: Donaeo
Title: Riot Music
Label: Digital Soundboy
Genre: UK Funky/UK Garage
Format: 12″
Buy From: Juno Records
Rising UK funky star Donaeo has had a lot to celebrate over the last year. In addition to a number of killer tracks, most notably “Devil In a Blue Dress,” “African Warrior,” “Party Hard” and “Watching Her Move”, the singer, songwriter and producer also released a critically acclaimed debut album, Party Hard. It grabbed much attention for its maker, and rightly so.
Next came the release of one of the standout tracks off that album, “Riot Music,” again well received by critics and dancefloors alike. Now, Shy FX’s Digital Soundboy imprint are unleashing a Skream remix on 12″. Moving instantly into his jungle stance, Skream brings bass in its abundance, keeping it hard hitting until a timely breakdown provides some respite (although this in truth only serves to make the next drop all the more earth shattering). A true dancefloor smasher. Much credit goes to Skream for coming up with a rework that rivals the original cut.
Review: Tom Jones
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BCee takes time out from his hectic schedule at Spearhead Records to serve up a fresh episode in his ever popular D&B podcast.
Artist: Brandon Miles and Tricky Pat
Title: Sulphur EP
Label: Temper D Productions
Genre: Drum and Bass, Leftfield
Format: Digital
Buy From: Juno Download
Putting something a little different out there for D&B DJs, London spinner Temper D offers up this breathtaking EP from Brandon Miles and Tricky Pat. From Portland and Vermont respectively, these two have an innovative and refreshing take on the genre, a million miles away from the mountains of formulaic drum and bass.
As Temper himself says: “They can really have an amazing effect at parties, provided you mix out of them with something with a bit of energy”. If only all label bosses were so thoughtful. Lead track “Sulpher” has a stuttering Dubstep-styled beat with some awesome beatless sections for stunning mixouts.
“Pip Squeak” will again work wonders in sets, coming in with a half-tempo swing that doesn’t feel lazy but instead provides a classy way to switch up styles, with plenty of crescendos that are begging to be mixed out of. “Radio X” and “Sex In Slime” are two seriously dark and twisted tunes that the right DJ could deploy with huge effect. Having already been played by London Electricity, Doc Scott, Raiden and of course Temper D himself, these four tracks come seriously recommended.
Review: Oliver Keens
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Whilst dBridge & Instra:mental have their own salubrious solo careers (former Bad Company member, dBridge, and hot shot producers, Al Bleek and Kid Drama, Instra:mental), it is perhaps as their collaborative tripartite that they have garnered the most interest. Drawing together a wealth of influences, the trio have attracted the attention of techno, house, dubstep and drum n bass aficionados around the world with their eclectic, far-reaching forays into electronic music, with their genre-hopping ‘Autonomic’ podcast series.
Drum and bass legend DJ Marky spoke to the people at fabric in the leadup to his upcoming showcase at the London club.
Artist: Danny Byrd feat. Liquid
Title: Sweet Harmony
Label: Hospital
Genre: Drum And Bass
Format: 12″, Digital
Buy From: Juno Records, Juno Download
What more can be said about an absolute copper-bottomed classic like Liquid’s “Sweet Harmony”? A seminal release on XL, it’s a hardcore anthem that still makes men in their 30’s and 40’s rip their shirts off and lose it in ravey nostalgia. Even though it pinched heavily from CeCe Roger’s “Someday” (both the piano breakdown and that memorable vocal sample) it was still totally original and a big influence on the fledgling jungle scene.
This updated version by Hospital hotshot Danny Byrd will doubtless introduce it to a whole new generation. Byrd has been golden of late, with his double A-side of “Red Mist/Fired Up” getting serious attention last year, as well as bagging Radio 1 support from Zane Lowe and Annie Mac.
The two mixes here give “Sweet Harmony” a propane-fuelled D&B treatment that’s bound to get rinsed over the next few months. The original mix will probably be the one that proves most radio and student friendly, whereas the Jungle mix (complete with that authentic Amen break) will satisfy anyone who still holds the original close to their heart. Expect to hear both versions all over the shop very soon.
Review: Oliver Keens
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Despite its infancy, BCee’s drum and bass podcast is already challenging for top spot in the iTunes “most popular” chart for the genre – and the Spearhead boss is back with his slick mixing and impeccable track selection.
