Review: 1985 is undoubtedly one of the most exciting labels in drum & bass and never fails to push music that's fresh and exciting. The Folio/ series is coming to an end, but the third instalment is a worthy final chapter in Perez's four-track VA odyssey. He's roped in some of the scene's best with Halogenix, Workforce, Visages and Hyroglifics all joining Perez himself across the four tracks, and the results are futuristic, danceable and deeply satisfying. 'Unlustrous' is unique in its structure, with flowing, wobbly arrangement that builds and builds over the entire tune into something massively heavy. Hryglifics possibly has the most creative track with 'Day By Day', while Workforce's 'Simple, Positive Things' is relentlessly dark. Top class.
Review: One of the scene's most long-running liquid masters is back with a mini-LP, an eight-track exploration of his sound that is sure to be a future benchmark for just how perfect the lighter side of things can be. It's Alix Perez, of course, and Without End is a masterpiece in soulful soundscapes, a gentle, deft piece of music that rollicks and flows with touches of melancholic nonchalance. It's designed to be listened to as cohesive piece of music, and the first track - Wondering At A Loss - lays the tone perfectly; suble piano ripples, distant vocal shimmers and crisp, finger-click drums. The string-laden build-up of 'Someone Else' is unmissable, as are the funky steps of 'Moving On' featuring the utterly superb Liam Bailey. He also finishes up the EP on 'Lost & Proud', and the other features - Halogenix, Workforce - are similarly stunning. Spellbindingly good.
Review: Alix Perez's 1985 sets the bar again... Edition 3 is another instalment of their spotless V/A series which covers the label's broad range of shades. This one is a game of two halves as the first five tracks flex around the 140 region with crucial slabs from Halogenix's Lordel alias and dubstep men of the moment Ternion Sound. Meanwhile the second half flips to D&B with a whole clutch of impressive designs; Visages' "Memories" is a mournful stepper, Bredren get bad-ass with the thumpy, bumpy "Only One", Machinedrum brings some outstanding soul on "Braided Leaves" and Perez delivers three of his finest. Bring on Edition 4.
Review: So at this point in time, it's hard to imagine Alix Perez making a stale tune, as he lands here on the wonderful 1985 music for another twisted collection of heaters. We kick this one off with a look at the spooky overtones and warbling synthesizer growls of 'Ravana', before the shivering LFO designs and glitchy melodic plucks of 'Lifeline' stutter into play. Next, 'Post-Mortem' arrives with more lethal reese bass action driving the stripped back drumwork forward in a blaze of system energy, before rounding off with the catchy arpeggiator flexes of 'Ends' alongside Headland. What a project this is!
Review: The future's so bright for Monty he has to wear shades. So will you too when you drop fithlets like these and see the carnage that follows. Some of the young Frenchman's best work to date, across the full EP we're treated to the full Monty and a few cheeky cameo collabos. Expect nothing but absolute brawlers ("STK", "Blinded"), slinky emotional ones ("Black Shield" with Visages) creepy, sewer-bound funk loaded with surprises and twists and turns ("Cursive" with the label bossman Alix Perez) and totally uncategorizable firing future funk ("Quest") Blinding.
Review: Sometimes the road gets too rough. Sometimes you just have to slap a senior member in your family due to the high levels of gully coming into your ears. Whatever you do when things get too stinky, however you deal with the body-blowing pressure of absolutely foul tracks, we know you're going to do it to this new EP from Perez who is on such a roll right now it's crazy. Following his dubstep EP "Last Rites" comes this awesome back-to-dnb-grit session. "Trinity" is just utter high voltage darkness, "Phantonym" takes things even deeper with some proper gruesome bass bubbles while "SWRV" takes us back to Alix's soulful side and "Vibrations" plays the perfect game of contrasts and shade. What an EP.
Review: Alix Perez's mighty 1985 imprint has been taking the D&B world by storm for the past couple of years and it's thanks in part to a series of wicked compilations, some big and some small. This is the second outing in the mini VA series Folio/ and they've pulled out all the stops, roping in a who's-who of forward-thinking music that includes Perez himself, SubMarine, Hyroglifics and others. Perez's contribution is classic Perez: moody, murky basslines and soothing, haunting samples that balance each other out into an equilibrium of pure satisfaction. SubMarine's 'Grunge' is more pure energy, a rippling number that's as fluid as it is devastating - perfect for the dancefloor. Tracks 3 and 4 don't mess around as well, but we're not really very surprised because Scepticz, Lavance, Hyroglifics and Visages are all just so damn good. Pick this one up.
Review: We're up to Part 3 of the Neosignal X EP series, a set of original tracks that aim to celebrate 10 years of the label doing some of the dirtiest bits with the dirtiest artists in the game. Phace, Mefjus, Black Sun Empire - you get the picture. All of the EPs so far have tended to have one standout tune and this release is no different. Proxima has been handed the keys to the legendary 'MPD' and he's absolutely smashed it, retaining the melody and grunge of the original but flipping it into a fresh, modernised stepper. Properly good stuff from the Dutch crew.
Review: Fire bun! Fracture continues spreading the most positive of vibrations with "Unite". Hot on the heels of his "Big Up The Ladies" EP on his own Astrophonica, he links up with the 1985 crew with four more absolute heaters. "Give Me Love" brings Fox into the fray to remind us why he's one of the UK's best melodic MCs over a freshly sharpened jungle riddim, "Feel 4 U" raises the spine-tingles with its rave pads while lowering your centre of gravity with its bashy beats and gutter-slopping bass shreds, "Realise" sees 1985 bossman Perez get mucky in the dark grumpy rolling mix while "Brothers & Sisters" taps back into the more techno-inspired aesthetics Fracture's been exploring lately. Imagine if Fracture was commentating a boxing match between Altern-8 and Rockwell down a dark alley and you're playing the right sport. Peace, love and "Unite"-y.
Review: We are absolutely loving the direction that the legendary Alix Perez has been taking recently, driving his uniquely techy production style into the dubstep scene with fantastic results. This latest project on 1985 music is the perfect showcase of just how good it can be, kicking off with the eerie atmospheric sweeps and gnarly bass excursions of the title track 'Last Rites'. Next, the engulfing subs and classic vocal fx sampling of 'Deep Six' burst onto the scene before the stripped back bass tones and impactful reverberations of 'Spooked' touch down. The project is rounded off with a dive into 'Melodrama', a track teetering with emotive energy and rolling sub tones, driven by it's unique, Burial-like lead vocal line.
Alix Perez & Monty - "Good To Me" - (4:54) 174 BPM
Bredren - "Swayed" - (5:56) 174 BPM
Monty - "Decisions" - (4:53) 174 BPM
Razat - "Simplicity" - (5:01) 172 BPM
Review: 1985 Music was founded by Alix Perez a year or two ago and, since then, has rapidly become one of the premier destinations for forward-thinking sonics that inhabit the 85-170bpm spectrum. With a fresh roster including Monty, Submarine and Perez himself, Edition 2 is a showcase of both the producers and sounds that Alix has in his orbit. There are too many outstanding tracks to recount here, but 'Drones' by Cesco stands out as one of the most creative: a subby, stepping halftime cut with an ingenious drum pattern. There's weighty rollers, too, including 'Swayed' by Bredren and 'Good To Me' by Perez and Monty, both of which are sublime examples in minimal construction. A truly sick collection of tracks.
Review: There's absolutely no debate to be had about whether Monty is one of the breakout producers from the past couple of years. The man is an absolute genius and the ease with which he fits in at 1985 Music doesn't need to be said again, all that does need to be said is how bloody good this new release is. The title track is characteristically Monty, a sub bass wave of minimalist energy that just rolls and rolls, each small detail accounted for and each hit perfectly placed. 'Virgo' featuring label boss Alix Perez is another astoundingly good track and the way in which these two manage to carve an attractive melody out of dystopic soundscapes never fails to impress. The final two? Yeah, you guessed it - incredible.
Review: Perez has always been ahead of the game but he is doing some serious bits right now. Following his Shades album (with Eprom), the bruising "Haunted" plus the consistent future shocks his label 1985 have been giving us comes this breath taking four tracker; "BXL" opens with high voltage textures that sizzle at 1.21 gigawatts while "Slink" closes on a subdued emotional tip with introspective vocals and a purring bassline. In between we have two absurd collaborations; Monty helps Alix turn bass into toxic treacle on "Caligo" while Icy joins the fray for a heavyweight droning roller laced with classic ravey vocal stab on "Live With It". Deal with it.
Review: Alix Perez's 1985 continues to build its own unique lane with the first V/A release of the year. Following Monty's "Hypnotise" comes this sleek, stark four-piece featuring a range of innovative kindred spirits. Perez takes the lead with "Haunted", a powerful techno-influenced slab of darkness while Cologne-based next-genner SubMarine follows with a 20,000 league deep sea wriggle fest on "Malibu 1973". Deeper into the Folio we forage to find barbed soul and heavy emotion on "Rollcage" (with Halogenix) and fly-by-night finger-clicking funk and subversive soulful vocals on "The Glow" (with Monty and singer Benabu)
Review: What a trip it's been for Alix Perez and his 1985 imprint. Continuously pushing new concepts, sounds and artists, it's swiftly become one of the most exciting and crucially stylised imprints in the beat game, no question. Here Alix treats us to an early taster of his label's next big release with this one track treat. Returning to his soulful roller signature, it's black velvet number that purrs and slinks in such an understated yet mean way. Timeless Perez.
Alix Perez - "Down The Line" (feat MC Fats) - (6:27) 172 BPM
JO - "R-Type" - (5:51) 174 BPM
Subwave - "Think" - (5:58) 175 BPM
Shogun Audio Presents: The Classics (2004-2017) (continuous DJ mix) - (57:08) 174 BPM
Review: When a label as consistent and as well rounded as Shogun Audio announce a 'Classics' release it obviously sends shivers around the drum & bass community. It's hard to imagine condensing thirteen years of dominance into a minimized box of thirty classics, but just looking at the tracklisting is awe-inspiring. We see classic reappearances from the likes of Friction, Spor, Break, Icicle, Rockwell, Spectrasoul, Alix Perez, Camo & Krooked and that's not even half of the names involved. To break it down simply, this compilation summarizes why Shogun hold such a legendary status within the scene, through incredible consistency and magnificent diversity of sound.
Review: Yes, yes! London's Alix Perez calls upon Fracture to land this latest collaboration on his own 1985 Music which, in our eyes, is one of the only last remaining meccas for true-school d&b with a forward-leaning edge. "Archetype" unleashes its sharp bass lasers over a slow-shifting, broken nu-jungle groove that sits somewhere in the vast landscape between dubstep and d&b. The tune will work like a charm for all those jungle heads looking to add a little flavor and pace to their DJ sets. Master-blaster type gear!
Review: Hot on the heels of Monty's EP comes another barbed and bulging EP from 1985 bossman Perez. Tapping into his darker, heavier machine funk tendencies, this is Alix in 3am drum & bass dance mode: "Lucky Charm" is a purring subby low-rider, "Blips" is straight back to 2009 with its angular two-step, sinewy sound design and badman bass and "Nighthawks" is a dark soul roller with subtle samplecraft and pranged out basses. "Missing Pieces" brings us back down to earth safe and sound with a much dreamier atmosphere wrapped lavishly around Perez's light-footed beats and Javeon's distinctive soulful tones. 1985 out of 10.
Review: 21 years old. How about that then? Some of us were barely out of nappies when London Elektricity first launched the imprint, some of us remember like it was yesterday. Either way, we are all united under the big flouro H and right now they're celebrating their coming of age with a humungous 70 track collection. Yes, 70! Each cut handpicked to represent the London imprint's constantly evolving but always soul-touched and groove-laden sound are 24 exclusives such as Urbandawn's insane version of Reso's "Taiga", Fred V & Grafix's titanium colab with Metrik "Tension", Serum & Inja's already-massive "Blow Dem" and Whiney's remix of TC's chop-slapping "Storm Brew". Massive. Happy birthday Hospital!
