Review:
The team at Southpoint have again pulled out a terrific year of releases, with genres ranging from grime to bass to funky to bassline. Here we see them flexing their more native bassline muscles as they bring together long standing Southpoint generals Pavv and Tengu for a wicked 'Presents' compilation. The duo combines heavily on 'Holding Back' whilst supplying weighty ammunition on two solo contributions also. We then see the return of Southpoint regulars: Mofaux, Habouchi, Inkline and Albzzy with heaters whilst newcomers Burt Cope and Foundry both step up to the plate! We also see the long awaited introduction of Sammy Virji to the Southpoint team, alongside bassline legends Hybrid Theory and Deadbeat UK. This is a real showcase of the breadth of STPT's bassline dominance, defining the Southpoint sound!
Review:
1Forty set up here to continue their exceptional run during throughout 2018 by bringing together an exciting collection of artists for the second edition of their 'Funky & Garage' season. Having been previously premiered on the new Threethousand website, we see Killjoy and Smokey 'Bubblin B' lead the way with the super groovy 'Voices In My Head' alongside Shantie and the old school pulse rolls of 'Where's Larry'. We also get gifted a breaksy funky fusion as 9TRANE and Arridim team up on 'Plazma', whilst Cardinal Sound round off an awesome selection with 'Ayy', a carnival special set to turn any dance to a bruckout.
Review:
As one of the grime and bass scene's standout label projects over the last 5 years, Project Allout have conquered much, constantly alternating between grime, dubstep, bass and garage, all with a real touch of finesse. This latest compilation sees the gang assemble in force as the likes of Sammy Virji, Killjoy, Palize, Deadbeat UK, Daze Prism and more heavyweight names bring their heat to the table. For us the standout tracks have to be Dunman's grimey roller in 'Chip On The Block' and of course Moony's amazonian funky ride out on 'M', a subby mover, designed to take the dance real low.
Review:
London based Shy Cookie returns on the always reliable Audio Intuition label, to serve up some proper timeless UKG the way it was always intended. To prove his point, he has teamed up with Sweet Female Attitude - the UK garage outfit consisting of Leanne Mason - who had a hit back around the turn of the millenium. There are three tracks on offer as part of the collaboration and they're all terrific particularly "Serious" which reminded us of late '90s classics by R.I.P. or Double 99. Elsewhere there is some deep down and dirty street style on "Twisted" (feat J.J) and something on the more sensual and romantic R'n'B tip with "Let Me Show You How" (feat Kayla Amor).
Review:
The Night Bass rampage continues to rage as they bring in Bijou for this exciting four track selection, packing a serious punch. The title track 'Super Phat' is a heavyweight collaboration with Ushi Qute, working her impactful vocals into a high pressure build up, landing on a synth driven madness of a breakdown. To follow we have the super punchy drum work of 'Do Not Disturb' alongside the distorted devisings of 'Expert'. The EP is rounded off with some major flare as the shuffling synths and hard hitting drum designs of 'Better Than That' run riot.
Review:
The rampage of the Night Bass collective shows no sign of slowing any time soon as they roll out another top draw compilation, this one consisting of six heaters under the name of 'Summer Phrases 2018'. Taiki Nulight and Hadean kick off proceedings with their tearout roller in 'No Attention', with 219 Boys following up on some sublow flavours in 'Hooked Up'. Codes then provides some techy tastings on 'Brand New Drop' before Bijou teams up with Davonyea Marcel for the experimental stylings of 'On Read'. Sinden & Dillon Nathaniel finish up the EP in style with their explosive outings on 'Swervin In A Lex' and 'Can't See Me'. Another top draw outing for the Night Bass camp.
Review:
After that recent appearance for Roska Kicks & Snares, we knew we'd be hearing more of Leda Stray. We didn't know, however, that the material would be this sick nor did we hear the same sort of diversity from the producer. This is some puristic bass material, with "Astray" leading the way on the bass front, and his collaborston with CK - "Stand Off" - continuing that same sort of stepperz style. Nu-school bass wizard Geiom coms through with a broken, grime-ready remix of "Astray", while Motu's own version shreds the groove down to a minimal, skeletal experiment with a bubbling bass surfacing from its underbelly.
Review:
As a label, Crucast have gone from strength to strength, rapidly establishing themselves as one of the premiere platforms for bass music in the UK. This complication marks that out perfectly with an astonishing selection of over 30 original creations, featuring high profile appearances from the likes of Jaguar Skills, Brent Kilner, Pavv, TC4, Inkline, Deadbeat UK and a tonne more. For us the EP highlights the strength in the current UK bass scene, with favourites being Bushbaby & Hadean's long-awaited collaboration release 'Clean Up', the monstrous swinging synths of Tengu's 'Weapon' and of course the wonky wonderings of SaidWho's 'Voices', a truly original compositional idea, focussing on rawcus bass sounds and scattered drum selections.
Review:
Maraki continue their storming output rate here with an extraordinary four track bonanza by the name of 'Spaces'. This compilation sees them pull together some of their favourite artists, who all shell down in typical fashion. We begin with Skue-K's absolute stormer 'Loco' which has been tearing the festival circuit to pieces. Following this, Bushbaby steps up with a piece of neurotic genius as the apocalyptic horns and outstanding synth designs of 'Sonder' run wild. Following this Zero & Vellum step up for their reesey war anthem entitled 'Untitled DJ Weapon' before FineArt finishes up the release in style with his VIP of 'Lighter Anthem', one of the most well received bassline originals of 2018.
Review:
The Stictly Flava camp have been on a serious roll of late, putting together some of the most exciting UKG and 2-step releases on the market. Here we see them bring together three high profile remixes of the super well received 'Selfish' from Jay Barrett. We begin with Soulecta's spicy recreation, before landing on incredibly choppy overhaul. Finally, Limita brings in a powerful presence as he puts down some vibrant skippy chord movements and sharp drum ideals, putting the finishing touches on a very well thought out remix project.
Review:
Hot Cakes are back and ready to join the party as they here employ an energetic collaboration between Martin Flex and Rico Tubbs by the name of 'Jumpin'. Through smooth chord progressions leading to expansive breaksy drops, we unearth something very special as reesey tones and sharp rhythms provide the perfect base for Feral Is Kinky to run wild with a hyped vocal appearances. This release also comes with an official remix from underground legend Deekline, who sends it to the breakbeat workshop for an incredible rework, driven by shimmering leads and expertly crafted breaks.
Review:
Here we see two bass heavy super powers combine as the immovable force of Night Bass team up with bass queen Flava D for a very highly anticipated project by the name of 'Spicy Noodles'. The title track kicks off with some serious flare as winding catchy synth melodies roam freely above chunky drum designs and lethal subwork to match. Next up, the more minimalized arrangement of 'Acting Skank', a techy roller dressed with expertly utilized vocal slices and electronic bass leads. Finally we finish up the project with 'Pickpocket', another minimal skanker, this time driven by the percussive clicks and subtle synth work, along with a top draw guest vocal from Brighton's PVC. Excellent stuff.
Review:
The well respected Mean Streets imprint returns in serious style as Danny D gets to work on a super grimey four track run out, encapsulating the raw energy of the genre down to a T. We begin with 'Normal', a pitch bent workout of shuffling claps and unorthodox vocal stabs. Next up we move into 'Metroid', which is driven by its medieval style string melodies and yet more skippy clap maneuvers. Following this we dip into a legendary rework as the haunting strings of 'Mike Jones 2' work subtle magic before the EP finishes up with the title track 'Wildfire', a synthetic rollercoaster of grimey vocal inputs and sharp violin patterns.
Review:
If you are looking for sunshine garage flavours then seriously, look no further than this super vibrant single from Blakk Habbit. From the off we are introduced to nostalgic drum shuffles, colourful vocal manoeuvres, expressive sub melodies and super bouncy rhythms, all the ingredients required to pull of a UKG insta classic. This release also comes complete with an extended club mix alongside a vocal club mix, making this one playable at all occasions!
Review:
Majora aka Daniel Evans-Jones is back on the unbeatable 877 imprint with a new bag of hybrid dance killahs, primed and ready for the modern ear! "Salt No Vinegar" is a bizarre groove that barely contains its wavy synths with broken bursts of drums and percussion, while "Loose Like" ups the tempo with a burst of distorted low frequencies and militant percussion stabs, leaving Drum Thing to remix "Salt No Vinegar" into a much smoother, more polished kind of tech-house burner.
Review:
After an incredible showing at Parklife festival and a very popular Rinse.FM takeover, Crucast return to their release schedule with a stack of weighty remixes for TS7's 'Motion Shift'. We begin with TS7's own VIP mix, which combines pounding subs and gliding synths over punchy 4x4 rhythms. The legendary of AC Slater steps up with his stripped back 2-steppy redesign, followed by Livesy's gritty overhaul. Finally we finish up on Annix's jungalistic jump up fusion of a remix, set to turn dances into zoos up and down the country. Crucast have certainly delivered another classic with this one!
Review:
We were super excited to see Laurelle make an exciting return to Ultra Bass, especially when we learned it was to be an official remix project for 'All Eyes On You', pushing together some impressive modernised garage vibes. The first remix comes courtesy of Soulecta, who brings some serious UKG heat from the off, converting the drop into a old school moogy lead driven madness. On the flip side, Major Key also gets to work, working shuffling rhythms alongside Laurelle's stunning vocal performance. Wonderful stuff here!
Review:
The UK's Mikey B has been in the midst of it all even since the first dubstep wax-plates were being spun at Plastic People's infamous FWD nights. The producer has gone through several evolutions and mutations, never shy to change his style and develop his bass in relation to what is happening around him. For instance, the present "Warning", out through his own MBProductions, is a fast-paced, techno-laced wobble bass anthem that gets meaner and meaner with each new beat - a proper dancehall banger! "Running Away", on the other hand, uses sultry female vocals to build up its insanely gnarly drop, and "With My Team" makes that jagged siren bass work alongside the track's garage-leaning vocal charm. Bombs - the lot of them!
Review:
It's been a hot minute since we heard from Phlegmatic Dogs, but they are back in major style as they return to the ever-impressive Night Bass imprint for an explosive two track EP project entitled 'No Cats'. We kick off with 'Cuatrocats' which brings energy through squelchy bass waves and perfectly processed 4x4 drum patterns in typical Phlegmatic fashion. On the flip we are introduced to 'Bounce', which takes a more techy experimental route, with subtle subs rolling lose amidst heavily attacking bass stabs and yet more precise drum design. A great return for the Dogs!
Review:
The unstoppable In:Flux Audio continues its path to glory with this raunchy six-tracker from the young Sample Junkie. He has only put out a handful of tunes thus far, but the way these bangers are sounding on the speakers means that the name Sample Junkies should be here to stay. "Aku" and "Yes Jah" kick the release off with a boisterous, mean-faced swarm of wobble bass and percussive pyrotechnics, while "Snake Charmer" manages to drop a blockade of chunky 4/4 beats into the equation, thanks to the help of Hurtdeer. There's two remixes of "Aku", the first being an extremely hardcore bit of techno-step from Hadean and the second, from Reso, a flow of nu-school d&b to life all the heads onto the dancefloor; Dave Skywalker reworks "Yes Jah" into one of the nuttiest, most audacious reinterpretations of bro-step that we've heard this year - watch out for those jungle breaks!
Review:
After the explosive response to their 'Yosh Pit' last week, the almighty powerhouse that is FooR return, steamrolling through releases with this latest monster alongside Killa P and Irah. The vocal company get absolutely crazy on this one as they lay down fearsome patois verses, including a classic chorus from the pair. These vocals sit perfectly on top of sharp 4x4 production by the guys at FooR, complete with electrifying leads and punchy drum designs.
Review:
Soul Serious have pulled out a top notch project here as they put together Sunday Roast and Dub Solution for a heavyweight five track collection by the name of 'Dark Hour'. The title track itself is a house inspired roller, filled to the brim with pulsating sub pressure and subtle reesey stabs. Following this the percussive rhythms of 'Apple Jade' and the garage inspired drum designs of 'Hold Me' before landing on the heavyweight Moog leads and rounded drum works of 'Body'. The EP then finishes up in style with the techy textures and overwhelming sub positions of 'The Utiltys', a minimalized roller that packs a serious punch.
Review:
Groove Skool are back with the second edition of their 'Nu Grooves' EP series and we can confirm that is truly jam packed with incredible rhythms and summer slammers. As far as large scale garage projects go, it's been a long time since we heard a project this size boast such consistency start to finish, with tracks such as 'Sylvester's Groove' slapping you with nostalgic bliss and 'Crown Joule' providing a more subtle field of play. There's something for everyone for certain, with other highlights including the impeccable 'So We Sing' featuring Ilya, the super bouncy 'Something' in collaboration with Duncan Powell and of course 'My Hurt Goes On' with the awesome Keith Boon, working them into a classic UKG melody. Fantastic stuff!
Review:
Sheffield's Project Allout don't mess about, having developed a reputation for championing all directions in the ways of bass. Every take on that three letter word is important to this label and that's why they cram so many hot jams onto their comps. Basically they're the Ferrero Rocher am-bass-adors and they are really spoiling us with 49(!) lengerz. Highlights include AT's bleepy 8-bit hip-hop groove "Flash Bang", the epic, symphonic trap of Dubzta's "Lord Of War" and the almost disco tech grooves of "Murkers' by King Hydra. All killer, no filler!
Review:
Long term Night Bass flag flyer Taiki Nulight returns to the ever-impressive imprint with his long awaited Broken Ribs' EP, which is stuffed to the brim with bass heavy goodies. We begin with the title track which is a dancefloor weapon, from the high intensity build ups of the intro to the incredibly unique synth design of the breakdown. Next we move into the more stripped back 4/4 arrangements of 'U Know' before landing on the highly anticipated sub heavy collaboration with Inkline entitled 'Cynic'. Finally the EP rounds up with it's second collaboration, this time with Stranger, as the pair pull together a selection of weird and wonderful synth sounds and skippy drum patterns resulting in a high energy banger.
Review:
It appears that the ever-impressive Crucast collective are at it again, this time bringing in the gritty madness of Livsey for a stonker entitled 'Persia'. This one is laced with intensely gritty LFO melodies as soon as we hit the breakdown, accompanied by slippery reese bass sounds and lethal drum processing, crowning this a guaranteed dancefloor detonation.
