Review:
Three words: "Police In Helicopter"... One of the biggest dubplates last year is finally here, and it's joined by 24 other exceptional bangers as the Hozzy team roll out another absurd stack of "Sick" freshness from across the board. Genuinely on point tune for tune highlights include Pete Cannon's outstanding drumfunk lash out "Ella", Flava D's first D&B tune (the breath taking "Return To Me"), a bone shaking duet from the next gen gems Unglued and Bou ("Ascendant Man"), both Fred V & Grafix's first solo tunes since they split and an absolute neck breaking gully snapper from Lakeway in the form of "War Dub". And that's just scratching the surface, this is a humungous V/A album. Hot enough to burn down a cane field or two...
Review:
In 1990 rave legends Rat Pack sang 'I can feel another rush coming on...' While no one can prove this, we suspect they were singing about this absolute stamp sesh from Belgian bump thumper Basstripper. Laced with a trippy vocal texture, a shimmering synth texture on the breakdown and a sizzling hot coal bassline, it's definitely worth singing (and dancing) about. Rat Pack never sang about extreme weather but don't let that stop you from hammering "Typhoon". Switchy, bouncy and once again coded with some pretty trippy textures, Basstripper nails it once again.
Review:
Biological Beats have a bit of a reputation for spewing out some of the most venomous beats in the business and their talent for pushing some of the best unknown artists on the jump-up spectrum is undeniable. Traumatize is holding up that standard and he's doing it in style, something clear right from the start of this EP. 'Stereo Yout' reels you in with a lovely dub-influenced intro, it's upbeat beginnings quickly regressing to a siren-like wail of pure energy that's reminiscent of Kings of the Rollers and insanity more generally. The rest of the release is equally aggressive, 'Most High' being another highlight. Sick release.
Review:
Bangers for breakfast, stinkers for tea... No matter what time you link up with Leaf, he's always cooking up something chronic and full flavoured. Take "Goat", a wonky, creaky weirdo of a tune, that comes complete with a little animal magic. Take those loose and spacious Die-style breaks on "Run The Riddim". Take those evocative, eerie Oriental strings on "Lucky House Grin". Take the rubber ball bass and necksnap bounce of "Hold Up", the croaky toad bass of "Save Meh" and the pranged out sci-fi funk of "Conscious State". In fact take the whole lot because it really doesn't get much better than this. Leaf is killing it right now.
Review:
Kanine was one of the breakout acts of 2018, his tune The Shadows dropped in 2017 but propelled him into the big leagues the following year. He has an instantly recognisable style but one which feeds off the current boom in D&B of snarling, jump-up influenced rollers that sound absolutely amazing through a sound system. 'Dubplate Soldier' is his latest, from a forthcoming Elevate Audio compilation, and it packs a huge punch. Beginning with those classic head-nodding drums, the tune quickly flips into a gargantuan pulse of raw low-frequency energy and industrial-sounding grates and groans. One for the Instagram story.
Review:
The man on road AKA Aries is a jungle legend in just about every corner of the UK, his touring with Kelvin 373 is legendary and from all accounts he's the nicest man alive. His album last year was spectacular and now he's back with this, a single featuring remixes from T>I and Unkut who are two producers with serious pedigree. 'Get Some More' is on the upbeat, funky side of the jungle spectrum and it features a gorgeous vocal line and some wicked sampling. The T>I remix essentially takes that and flips it into a dark, pulsating roller with serious brooding undertones and a genuine sense of evil locked away in its depths. Unkut keeps the jungle vibe but injects some more power into its low-frequency notes, making a nice spin on the original. Sick ep and one with something for everyone.
Review:
Jam Thieves are arguably two of the freshest talents currently residing in the Playaz camp, their less-is-more approach to the Playaz jump-up orientated ethos injecting every one of their tunes with an elegant sense of power. On this occasion, their music is being given a reworking by both TC and themselves. TC's remix of 'Minimal Funk' - the title track to their 2016 debut album on Playaz - is amped-up and outrageously aggressive, it's glitched out synth stabs and oily run of low-frequency energy suitably tailored to the original's minimal force. On the flip, 'After Blast' is given the VIP treatment and, despite the original being a heaving mass of bass, is made even heavier with added emphasis on the heavy. Two big tunes these.
Review:
AC13 is an upcoming artist who is slowly making waves, with a recent feature over on Soulvent Records and a string of sick free downloads on Onyx Recordings. Now, he's landing one of his first original singles and it's a fatty, with two slices of heavy stacks and dark tones that have clearly been heavily influenced by the current sounds of the likes of Serum etc. 'Sensation' uses a classic sample to lure you in with the temptations of familiarity, before flipping to vibe on its head with a deep, growling and subby stepper that fluctuates all over the place with satisfying precision. The flip uses a similar slash identical bass sound but moves the arrangement around, to devastating effect. This guy is one to watch.
Review:
Fokuz Recordings consistently release some of the best compilation albums around. Their pool of artists is so diverse and so top quality that an assortment of their work is always going to be special, especially when they bring in outside talent like Break and Zero T. Collaborations 2 is what is says on the tin: remixes and other collaborative projects and blimey, it's good stuff. Joakuim's '8am Roller' is the perfect example, a deft piece of piano-based smoothness that rolls out to your heart's content with sultry results, an instant classic of liquid-sized proportions. The Break remix is a welcome addition, as is the steppy yet soulful Zero T remix of Ben Carlos. Another very, very good selection of cuts from the always sublime Fokuz crew.
Review:
Randall doesn't mess around, so you already know LJHigh is making the right noises just by the very virtue of being on Mac 2. But then you press play and realise this Coventry newcomer doesn't mess around either; the title track "Magic" is an insanely obese roller with a sub so wobbly you consider calling it an ambulance and it's back by three other crucial buzzes; "Scorpion" rattles and stings like an old Bingo Beats record, "Denial" has more of a twisted techy edge with a sultry vocal purring over the top while "Submersed" closes the EP on a creepy note. All waspy in the bassline, subtle in the uplift and percussively perky, it leaves us hanging for more. Don't get high... Get LJHigh.
Review:
2018 is the second year in a row that Critical Music dropped a surprise release for us on Christmas Day, 2017 seeing the Modified Sonics album full of VIPs and exclusive remixes. New Energy Vol.1, however, is a totally different deal and that's because it's 18 brand new, exclusive tunes from those deep inside the Critical camp and those just entering it. The whole roster is represented: Kasra, Enei, Mefjus, Emperor, Foreign Concept, The Upbeats - and so on. But, excitingly, there's new talent in the form of Bou, Synth Ethics, Simula, Kanine and more. Mefjus' remix of 'Projections' arguably takes the cake as the best tune on here - absolute murderation. This is Critical's statement of intent for 2019.
Review:
The bumchin badboy is back, and he's packing a platter of greasy riff pies. But be lively, these are so fresh they're jumping off the plate! "High Frequency" is all about the ping pong ball bassline that ricochets around the mix like a hyper puppy who's been given grown up Pedigree Chum while "Entity" adds instant contrast with grumpy bass guffs and a beat the rolls with absolute perfection and works in pretty much every single mix we've tried. Deeper into the EP we find Souped Up's head chef Serum getting in the mix for two collaborations; "Circuits" is a proper grumpy one with just a smidgeon of BC peppering the mix while "Pitch Forks" gathers the rabble and comes charging out of the gate towards whoever's made the most recent public upset. And by the sounds of that flabby bassline and those graveyard pads they're not stopping until blood is split. Rabble rabble!
Review:
Ballin' for a little Brawlin'? Look no further as the heavyweight label recruits another epic far-flung V/A collection. First up is a Belgium vs Latvian bounce off as Basstripper and Kenji go mental over a rubber ball bassline. Next we head to Scotland for a gritty tubular burn up from Refrecta while Deuce goes below the belt with a flabby bass swamp stepper "Sudden Death". Last but not least Brighton's Horizon signs the deal off with another bouncy groaner; the happy twanging "Get Down". Glitchin' ain't easy...
Review:
Vital Elements has built up a name for himself as someone who never fails to bring out the big guns with his music. It's always heavy, hard-hitting and built on soundscapes and vibes which are deeply urban. His newest EP on V2E is no different and it kicks off with 'Take Em Down', a Serum-esque roller with a bassline that stretches out over the horizon, the only constant being its grinding, coarse nature and the manner in which it constantly mutates and evolves. 'Give Yourself' is equally as rough but less rolling and more fragmented, its structure and nature constantly changes and it keeps the tune sounding consistently fresh. The rest of this EP is absolute vibes, too.
Review:
Stillz is back and oh boy, this release is absolutely top notch. For anyone out there who likes their rollers dark and dirty yet precise and engineered with quality in mind, you'll be into this release. With three originals and a remix by Sensitive, this release is just bursting with quality and if we ran a label, we'd certainly be writing these names down for the future. The title track excels in its simplicity, with all the work being done in a simple yet devastating drum pattern and its relationship to top-notch bit of back end work. The other cuts follow this pattern: stunningly solid drums, fat basslines and arrangements rooted in simplicity, allowing the small details to shine. Wicked release.
Review:
Total Science and Jubei releasing a joint single on Metalheadz is about as legendary a combination as you can get, isn't it? The three artists have shaken their heads together and come out with a classic old-school release that relies on a thick sense of rough vibrancy in all areas of production. You can feel the history on this one. 'Reality Check' is the roller of the single and boy, you really can't beat the weight of the drum sounds on this one and the percussion is the main attraction here: rough and ready to roll. 'Redemption' is steppier and more breaksy but no less fluid, with a groaning pulse of a back end and a rave-influenced synth line which contrasts beautifully with the lows. The boys are back.
Review:
Subway Soundz, despite their name perhaps have connotations of footlong sandwiches, manage to put out some of the dirtiest beats in the game. Masker is holding up that mantle with this single, a double-sided weapon with an urban-edge. 'Reflections' featuring Kash is arguably the stronger of the two if only because it has such a satisfyingly solid drum line underpinning it, Kash's menacing vocals inject the urban edge mentioned above and then the drop finished it all off - absolutely sick tune. 'Call Their Bluff' is more along Souped Up lines with its catchy melody and simple arrangement - one of the serum fans.
Review:
Remix time! Walking Dead switch up the stems with a straight up swap between two of its key protagonists. Eazy takes on D-Nasty's "Kapo" first; maintaining that addictive riff, he dives in with big groaning textures on the bass making it feel like it's being dropped on you from a space centre. D-Nasty returns the favour by taking "Time To Kill" to even more murderous plains than it already existed. Croaky.
Review:
Traditionally, Sunner Soul's loopy, loved-up disco, soul and boogie revisions have tended towards the slow and sensual. This time round, though, the Vintage Music boss is targeting peak-time dancefloors, starting with the chunky, bass-heavy disco-house dustiness of "What Are You Waiting For". He also serves up a mid-tempo chunk of disco-sampling, sub-heavy deep house wooziness (the ace "Ready To Pump") and a rolling, 110 BPM chunk of orchestral disco chunkiness ("Ultrafunk Orchestra"). The EP also includes a tasty bonus in the shape of The Sunshine Disco Club's "Sweet Journey (Synth Jam)", where warm pianos and winding, D-Train style synth solos rise above a dusty, spaced-out groove.
Review:
The first "Masterworks Legends" compilation saw label boss Danny Worrall giving digital debuts to a whole host of previously vinyl-only cuts. We're not sure whether he's taken the same approach this time round, but the quality of the material remains pleasingly high. Beginning with Dr Packer's hot-to-trot revision of Kiu D's Blaxploitation disco workout "Dynamite", Worrall offers up a swathe of hypnotic, disco-tinged house head-nodders (Ooft's "I Am Love" being a glassy-eyed standout), tasty '80s electrofunk revisions (Woodhead, The Silver Rider, Coutel, his own '80s Child project), thumping disco club cuts (Natasha Kitty Kat, Kiu D, James Rod, Ponchartrain) and sparkling nu-disco box jams (Gradient Logic). If you're looking for more tried-and-tested treats to pep up your sets, you should add this to your cart right now.
Review:
SL8R aka Connor is one of Manchester's fastest rising 170 talents, a man with an eye for not funny posts on Facebook but also some seriously serious beats. Previously residing over on the darker, more neuro influenced side of the spectrum, he's recently been showing off a penchant for diversity and this single on V sub-label Chronic is a perfect exemplification of that. 'Digbeth Warehouse' is a classic set of Manny vibes and Manny attitudes, a no-nonsense roller that wobbles more than a groom on his wedding day and a track which seems certain to get heads nodding up and down the nation. The flip is of a similar yet slightly more restrained nature and, whilst unlikely to get pulses racing quite as fast, compliments the A-side well and shows off the evolution of SL8R's production prowess. Yes mate!
Review:
In terms of legendary status for labels over on the jungle/jump-up side of the scene, it's pretty hard to beat Serial Killaz. Run by the duo of the same name, the imprint has arrived with the second instalment of their mixtape series and it's unsurprisingly good. Full of big tunes from guys like Serial Killaz themselves, Vital Elements and Upgrade, it's the latter of these guys that takes the cake with 'Steel Drum'. You've probably heard this one doing the rounds and it's actually already been released, but oh boy what a tune this is: a screaming, siren-lake mash of grating metallic synths and punching drums all come together to make an unstoppably good piece of music. Don't sleep on the rest of these tunes though, and a special mention goes to DJ Hybrid's 'Beatbox' - naught jungle vibes.
Review:
Well well well, we have to say we heard tell of a mega compilation that was set to be emerging out of the bass scene in the near future, but nobody could have predicted it to be this powerful as Holy Goof unveils his Globes compilation, championing all aspects of 4x4 bass music to the maximum. We see A-list appearances from top to bottom with Notion, Chris Lorenzo, Fine Art, Skepsis, FooR, Bushbaby and more all gracing the listing with top draw originals. For us the immediate standouts on this one have to include the emotional expanse of Freddie Martin's 'Stubborn', which comes complete with cracking original vocals, along with the rapid fire LFO shells of Livsey's 'Supersonic' and the big room synths of Skue-K's 'Flows'.
Review:
I don't think there's anyone in the world who is a good enough person to deserve the music Break gives us. We're all bad people compared to his tunes and his newest album - Another Way - is arguably his best work to date, a rip-roaring adventure through rolling beats, funk influences and UK dub culture. Featuring vocals from Cleveland Watkiss and Kyo and production features from Total Science and DLR, it's a whos-who of D&B as well as a masterclass in how to make it. 'Last Goodbye' with Celestine kicks off the LP with funk-based energy; 'Keepin It Raw' does just that; MC GQ whispers in your ear on 'Whispers in You Ear'; Total Science collab on possibly the highlight of the whole album with 'Dogs Dinner'; and 'Take Me Away' injects some lighter, liquid-based sanity. An absolutely stunning voyage through the best that D&B has to offer - Break has done it again.
Review:
Heist's annual "Round Up" release, in which label artists remix each other, is becoming something of a tradition. This fifth volume is, of course, every bit as essential as its predecessors. All six tracks hit the spot, though we're particularly enjoying the bumpin', bass-heavy and driving take on Hugo Mari's deep and bluesy "Change Ur Ways" by label chiefs Detroit Swindle, not to mention Adriyano's effortlessly celebratory and swinging revision of the Swindlers' own "Cut U Loose". Elsewhere, Hugo Mari brilliantly joins the dots between tribal house and tactile, loved-up grooves on a stellar rework of Alma Negra's "This Is The Place", while the Kassian revision of Pitto's "You Treat Me Like A Fool" sounds like a 21st century update of Todd Edwards' legendary remix of St Germain's "Alabama Blues".
Review:
Mefjus' second album - Manifest - came out last year and was one of the biggest releases of the year, with every inch of the release absolutely dripping with insane sound design and characteristically frenzied tones. The man himself is currently releasing his forthcoming remix album as a series of singles and this is the latest, a double-sided display of technical prowess from Break and Misanthrop. Break's remix of 'Uneasy' is typically top-notch, those Break drums rattle and shake as per usual and the complex simplicity with which he arranges his basslines ties the knot on a hard-hitting piece of work. Misanthrop's contribution is more frenzied yet somehow even more precise, it's synth stabs and jagged edges tear and fold over and over, turning the original into a strange yet improved version of itself. We can't wait for the full album.
Review:
Sprechen's latest release is something of a doozy, all told. It comes from font-of-all-musical-knowledge and top notch DJ Bill Brewster, who shares four killer cuts from his personal stash of re-edits. It really is all killer, no filler, with "Love Hard" - a brilliant revision of a spacey, throbbing, tongue-in-cheek classic that dispenses with almost all of the most familiar bits and concentrates on the track's sleazy groove and intergalactic synths - hitting home particularly hard. Opener "Carpet Warehouse" offers more spacey synths, camp vocals and killer grooves, while "SOS" is a near perfect revision of a low-slung, post punk-era dub disco obscurity. Speaking of post-punk era goodness, we'd suggest checking out EP closer "Wide Awake Club", which could well be the strongest edit on a very strong collection of reworks.
Review:
V Recordings slide into their 25th year with another Sao Paulo salute as Simplification returns to the label with four absolute stunners; "Analogy" is a pneumatic stepper with crisp punctuated drums and a vibe that nods to the "Untitled Horn" vibe. "Venus" continues the dark cosmic feels as fellow Sao Paulians L-Side join the moody, spacious fray. Elsewhere "Hold On" slips into something slower as we're shown how things are done with space-age 140 breaks while "Free Me" shuts us all down with a swaggering, riff buzzer, all electrified, waspish and devilishly funky. Hold tight.
Review:
There's something about the name Skore which just emanates dastardly undertones, in the words of the always quotable Super Hans, "an impending sense of dread." Unlike Super Hans, however, Skore can actually make music and his latest piece of work is out over on Calypso Muzak. Thrashing Machine is an energetic piece of jump-up construction that doesn't hesitate to punch you in the face and its exemplified by the title track, a bass-filled expression of dancefloor hatred which moves in mysterious yet obvious ways. It bangs, basically, as does the rest of the EP. Top stuff.
Review:
Valentine "Valique" Golovachev returns to action under the edit-minded "V" alias, inviting us to join him at a poppin' party rich in "Dope, Disco, Booze and Models". He begins in confident fashion, adding a little synth-heavy nu-disco wiggle to an old Esther Philips jam, before un-leashing the celebratory P-funk bounce that his rework of "Chelsea" by the sadly departed Purple One. Arguably even better is his tweak of Milly Jackson's "Baby", which layers up the percussion and chiming melodies over a loopy disco-house groove, while closing cut "Alcohol" sees him turn an old blues track into a chugging chunk of mid-tempo disco-funk brilliance.
Review:
First out as a 12-inch only release in 2017, this three-tracker from Nebraska, AKA UK producer Alistair Gibbs, packs funked-up fun by the trunkload. 'Drill Deep' has a looping "deep within it" male vocal sample, brass fanfares, a full-phat bassline and soaring Philly strings. 'Instant Pressure' is a hazy, lazy affair that centres around a muffled, throbbing bassline and chunks of the vocal from Jhelisa Anderson's 'Friendly Pressure' (albeit without the "bada-bada-ba" bit), and finally 'Keep On Keepin' On' is a sumptuous midtempo disco-funker that could've beamed straight in from 1975, complete with full female vocal about suffering in the ghetto.
Review:
Deep In The Jungle got picked out by UKF has one of the top labels of 2018 the other week and it's certainly well deserved, for they just consistently bang out some of the most vibey jungle around. They also represent forthcoming artists and we'll always support those who give a platform to people who otherwise might not. The album is a huge fifty tracks, spanning some well-known names like DJ Hybrid, SL8R, Conrad Subs, RMS and Kumarachi. The latter kicks off the album with a bang, 'Have You Here' sweeping down the range with its DLR-esque bassline and riotous attitude. It's a emblematic of the quality present on the rest of the album - check it out.
Review:
Dominator sadly passed away last year, and to celebrate his legacy Low Down Deep have released a full LP of his music, including collaborations galore. The first tune features Nu Elementz and its satisfyingly solid, with punmching bass stabs and a rock-hard percussive base to go with them. All of the tracks on this release are just big, from the glitched-out width of 'Better Late Than Never' featuring Majistrate, to the subtle yet funk-infused rhythm of 'Atomic Playboy' featuring Ego Tripping. Scene legend Heist makes a couple of appearances on 'Sway' and 'Cowboy' and Sub Zero tears up the place on 'Terror Notts'. This is sick EP that does justice to another D&B figure who was taken too soon. RIP Dominator.
Review:
As far as dubstep releases go, White Peach have unlocked a gem here as they bring forth one of the most highly anticipated collaboratory 140 projects in recent times. We are truly blessed to hear this four track polypheme come together, as we begin our journey down under with super sidechains and eastern inspired melodies of 'Buried', alongside 'Ghidorah'. Next up, 'Hatchet' wheels into view, stacked with arpeggiated energies and broad Arabic string harmonies, before 'Pariah's spooky textures are let loose for track three. Finally, we finish up with a real kick as 'Tusk' unleashes an array of hypnotic melodies and grizzly sub textures, perfect for setting the dance alight.
Review:
Brit Joseph Ashworth's sudden rise to the top has been noticed on top labels such as Dirtybird, Pets Recordings and Tessellate (as Firmin) and if this new one for Italian powerhouse Life & Death demonstrates - his time is truly now. The Londoner delivers a glassy-eyed and life-affirming journey on "Trooper", that sits somewhere between modern deep house and shoegaze with its spangling drones. But this is an afterthought compared to Windy City legend Ron Trent's emotive rendition, which will leave you breathless! This is followed by the tunneling tech-house cut "Laminated" which is also full of reliable dancefloor dynamics.
