Review:
Within the UK Bass scene, there are few who can be held in higher acclaim that Brighton's own Taiki Nulight, who has been at the forefront of bass music for pretty much the entirety of the scene's modern existence. This album showcases everything that the man is about, from the UKG inspired flavours of the title track 'Murky Manor', to the more futuristic and experimental stylings of 'Iconic', alongside Dread MC. Other highlights include the circular percussive movements of the 'The Business', the tearout tones of 'Primal' and of course the three high profile collaborations alongside fellow bass heavyweights: AC Slater, Chris Lorenzo and Cause & Affect.
Review:
Phengophobia, the fear of daylight. In our eyes, this name couldn't be more accurate as Bushbaby rolls out his fourth full EP with Brighton based high flyers: Southpoint, and it's a dark one for sure. As a project, this really summarizes how far Bushbaby has come, with 'Hold Up' being the perfect piece of dark bass magic to transform any crowd into an absolute zoo. The infamous vocal presence of Dread MC makes an appearance also on 'Montana', a gnarly dancehall infused stomper, packed with lethal energy. The mood then dramatically alters as the young soundsmith unleashes a phenomenal dosage of electronic soundscaping in the title track 'Phengophobia', showcasing the true depth of his skill.
Review:
As one of the leading forces in bass music in the UK, it's always a monumental moment to hear that My Nu Leng have put together a new release. This project sees them take a seat on their own 'Maraki' imprint, showcasing their multigenre influences perfectly. The title track 'Junctions' is a perfect example of this, bringing together pounding UK bass themes with crunchy breakbeat additions, perfect for adding a bit of flavour to any dance. To follow this 'Super 8' kicks back with a bag of moogy bass energy, before Takura and Holy Goof join the party for some tearout antics on 'Gully'. Finally, we hear Madi Lane join forces with the Bristol based duo on 'Turn Around', a breaksy roller, packed with spacey emotional energy and smooth harmonies, rounding off this EP with a touch of class.
Review:
It's been a brief minute since we saw a new release from the infamous Project Allout imprint, so we were thrilled to see they had announced this potent new project with grime warlord Spooky. This brief break in their release schedule we hear is down to internal restructuring, ensuring we receive nothing but top draw releases from the PAR camp. The title track 'Badboy' is Spooky is sparkling UKG form, bringing together old school-steppy bass structures and super skippy garage rhythms. The EP also brings up three official remixes, beginning with Deadbeat UK's reesey rework and speedy official revamp. Our highlight however would have to be Hamdi's mammoth dubstep overhaul, which works the bass melodies into skippy half time designs with great skill.
Review:
Despite having a steady revival movement over the past couple of years, UK Funky has exploded onto the UK Bass scene over the past few months, influencing a large amount of underground music. Here we see one of the genre's leading lights in Murder He Wrote put forward a flavoursome four tracker, courtesy of Rhythm Athletic. We begin our journey on this one on a vibrant collaboration with Maddie Ellerby by the name of 'Expectations', which lays the blueprints for the rest of the EP with its classic funky flavours. Next up, 'Circles', a bluesy stripped back roller, packed with organic drum energy, before landing on the futuristic synth play of 'All I Ever Needed'. Finally we finish up the EP on the playful dub mix of 'Expectations'.
Review:
Straight out of the dubbed out streets of Manchester, we are pleased to welcome Hypho and Amadeo Sanchez's new project 'Manuka' as they unveil their debut four track drop. We kick off with new school dubstep high flyer: Arkwright, with his shimmering roller in 'Course', before dipping into Kelly Dean's dungeon dwelling demon in 'Childs Play', which is packed to the rafters with reesey energy and grizzly subs over skippy 4x4 infused beats. Next, Sensei brings some more original flavour as the gritty bass tones of 'Red Cross' run riot, along with the wobbly moogish bass designs of Zygos on 'Paz', rounding off a fantastic debut release.
Review:
Soundbwoy Killah excels with this release and making the older amongst remember old-school raves, and the younger wish you could've been there. 'Yours' glides into the start of the release with bass shakes and soulful vocal samples, before a refreshing bout of 2-step tumbles out of the swirl and cuts in with a naughty, diving sine bass. 'Come My Selector' takes you back to 2005, in a good way - one for the rude boys and the ravers. 'Abra Cadabra' is packed with eclectic percussion, bumping you along before taking a dive down into the deep, the dark and the dirty, blackish atmospherics providing the backdrop for a non-stop sink into the bass below. You might recognise the sample in 'Turn Off The Lights' from Mak & Pasteman's 'Oh Baby', but this is a different beast altogether. More punchy kick drums and tight, spinny back ends evoke even clearer notions of the rave. Top stuff.
Review:
Having been announced a few weeks ago via a very well received threethousand.co.uk premiere, Project Allout bring forward this solid project from bassline top dog JG. We kick off with the "almost" title track 'Bring That Dub', which is a slithering bag of grooves, filled with very creative sound design across a range of synths. Following this we have 'I Wanna', which builds with electronic organs, delving into niche style bassline melodies and skippy drum chops, before we hit the more rapid fire bass wobbles of 'Run While You Can'. We finish up with the high pitched electronic patterns of 'I Wanna', putting the finishing touches on a very well thought out four tracker.
Review:
As one of the most prominent forces in the northern world of niche bassline music, Chip Butty have delivered us yet another tasty feeding of 4x4 heat here as they bring in Sample Junkie for three explosive original creations on 'Chips & Curry Sauce'. We kick off the party with the ominous synth layerings and scattered beats of 'Odin', before taking the grooves down a more neurotic route on 'Bad Boy Trip'. From here we move into the last of the three tracks entitled 'Get Wrecked', which between a contrasting triplet based intro and sharp LFO led 4x4 breakdown provides the project with the perfect final touches.
Review:
The team behind the Nightbass movement continue their incredible journey through 2018 here with yet another solid compilation, really pushing the Night Bass sound right through to the year's end. This project is made up on 9 original records, including top draw creations from the likes of AC Slater, Bijou, Cause & Affect, Taiki Nulight, Bassboy and more, making up a spectacular line up to say the least. For us the instant highlights on this one have to include 'The Freq' from 219 Boys and 'Church (feat Dances with White Girls)' from Sinden & Petey Clicks, both of which encapsulate the darkened futuristic bass stylings of Night Bass perfectly!
Review:
As one of the real standout label projects across 2018, We are very happy to see Southpoint make their return to JunoDownload amidst an extremely hectic release schedule. Here we see them unveil Movement's debut 'Mendax' EP, which explores everything UKG with a serious twist of flavour. The title track itself is an ode to old school 2-step compositions with 'Camlet Moat' providing some more nostalgic tastings and 'The Burial' twisting into a darkened expanse of bass and drum work. Next up, 'Aku Aku' see's the return of Banzai's unique vocal presence over tribalistic percussive spreads, before we finish up with Moony's smoothened out rethink of 'Mendax', topping off a terrific body of work.
Review:
Has bassline ever been more influential than it is currently across the UK? I think most people would struggle to argue otherwise. To celebrate this, bassline heavyweights DJQ, Jamie Duggan, Skepsis and Darkzy join forces for an allstar compilation album, including a selection of full tracks and exclusive mixes. The full project includes exclusive drops from the likes of Champion, Shanti, DJQ, Flava D, TQD, Preditah, Bushbaby, Darkzy, Bru-C and many more. You are going to struggle to find a more comprehensive bassline selection this year!
Review:
The ever-dependable production prowess of Tuff Culture returns to the infamous Four40 imprint here for three lethal creations, under the title of 'Elements Part 1'. We kick off the party with the laid back, subtle aquatic bass sounds of 'Forte', before twisting the deck right up on the more grizzly sub tones of 'Carbon'. Finally, we finish up this powerful selection with lo-fi creations of 'For Real'. As a composition, this one boasts some highly original designs, focusing more on the quirky, dungeon-esc tastings of the atmospheric bass combos put forward. Excellent stuff!
Review:
Here we take a look at another seriously cool emerging project as the rapidly rising sounds of Witchdoctor team up with Strictly Flava for a nostalgic three track epic. We begin the ride on this one by diving into the title track 'From The Inside', a super smooth 2-step roller, driven forward by some incredible vocal work and creamy drum processing. Following this, we move into the more uptempo rhythms of 'Ecstasy', which takes a more sub heavy approach to its breakdown, before finishing up the project on the even more intense 4x4 bounces of 'Piranha'. Excellent stuff!
Review:
For us, Articulate is a label that really needs no introduction. Known for their experimental take on UK funky, bass and dubstep, the team behind the project are constantly looking at expanding their sound into new areas, which is exactly what this shimmering new project from Retrospect achieves. The title track 'Jewel' is a perfect bassline & funky hybrid, driven by elegant grooves and grizzly bass sounds, alongside the high energy drum and chord movements across 'Hoko Dub' and the super dippy bass instrument flows of 'Huntsman'. It doesn't stop there however as Kotei and Fork & Knife get to work with uptempo grimey reworks of 'Jewel', with Limita working his UKG magic into his overhaul of 'Hoko Dub'.
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:
After the super success of the original recording being so apparent, It was only right that the team at the infamous Four40 imprint brought this original from Kastle back for a bag of high profile remixes. We begin our delvings into this 'R U 4 Real' remix EP with the super groovy twists and turns of ZeroFG's skippy overhaul and LedaStray's powerful UK funky rethink, before stepping into Inkline's inspired techy recreation. Man of the moment: Limita then steps up to follow with a very original bass-driven refurbishment to finish up the project, signing it off with a serious seal of approval from us!
Review:
It's always exciting to see new material dropping from the U Wot Blud imprint, who this time get to work exploring new ground as they present us with this explosive 'Demon Tweaks vs BLAME Illuminati' collaboratory project. Demon Tweaks kicks us off with a heavyweight breakbeat VIP mix of 'Roots', before BLAME gets busy on his super fidgety original in 'Selecta'. Blame then steps forward for his grizzly tearout revamping of 'Roots', before Demon Tweaks gets to work sending 'Selecta' to the chopping block with his dramatic 4x4 recreation.
Review:
Even though it would appear the summertime has well and truly passed, Deadly Habitz is here to supply us with some heated spice as he unveils his new three track EP with Downplay. We kick off with the spacy haunted arrangements of the lead track 'Do It All Again', which is driven by warm sub pressure and expertly arranged vocal manoeuvres, before dipping into the darkened synth designs and old school drum skips of 'You Got Me'. We then round up the project in real style as Royal Flesh appear in time for a stripped back super skippy rerun of 'Do It All Again', which brings forward unpredictable chops and flavoursome slices.
Review:
Well the Four40 gang are well and truly at it again as they bring forward this demonic selection form Clarity and Greed, who team up across three dark bass bombs. The title track goes by the name of 'After Dark' and works as a very creative murky roller, bringing jittery LFO movements into conjunction with skippy drum beats and lethal sub weight beneath. It gets more lively as Greed steps forward on solo duty for 'Drama', which brings a more shuffling set of bass leads to the front, with Clarity scatting out his synth designs on the unpredictable flavours of 'Catch My Drift'.
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:
Even with the summer season drawing to a waterlogged close, the garage fever that swept the country throughout the heatwaves lives on here with Mike Millrain's latest single 'Lovin' Me'. The garage house mix that we kick off with is perfect for the party atmosphere, with two highly expressive remixes from Tuff Vibes to follow eloquently. We then finish up with the shining original recording, designed to get any dance floor jumping.
Review:
Tumble Audio has been providing us with seriously killer bass music for a few years now, and here they celebrate reaching their tenth release by recruiting Roadman Joel to curate a selection of the kind of seriously heavy tunes you might expect to hear at one of their many label nights. There's a whopping 18 tracks on here covering a wide spectrum of British urban dance music, including Majora's ridiculously amazing tribal UKF monster "T&C's", A Motion's ghetto 2-step hybrid "Back In Your Love" and Sentiment's wobble-heavy tropical jam, "Change You".
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:
As we lead up to In:Flux's 5th birthday celebrations, they have gifted us this enigmatic 5 tracker from Mattik, supplying us with a potent hit of original bassline flavour. The title track 'Can't Step' is a groovy wobbler, whilst 'Dead! (VIP) raises the energy with intense LFO's and sharp drum designs. This one also comes complete with a bag of remixes for 'Can't Step', The first being a stripped back mix from Jagwa and the second being a funky inspired shakeout from Dark Moon. Finally we finish up with PZP's rapid fire rework, pushing out niche sounding bass instruments and vibrant grooves.
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.
