Review: The southern city of Mannheim, Germany is more synonymous with minimal techno than it is drum 'n' bass. Local producer Bassface Sasha is definitely affiliated with the latter genre; the Subway Soundz staple returning to the label for the follow up to 2019's Make Me Feel / Bullseye EP. This edition is quite fittingly titled The Country Series - Germany and features the off-kilter jump-up shenanigans of "Not In Charge" in addition to the seething sci-fi steppa "Meteor".
Review: The German gurner returns! Bavarian OG Bassface Sascha returns to Dazee's Ruffneck Ting with three junglised roughhouse rollers. We kick off with the fragrant bashes and turbulent terpenes of 'Hand Me The Herb', a raw horn-heaved track with bubbly subs and the crucial tones of man like Spyda. Instant reloader, it sets the energy levels for the rest of the EP as 'Dead Fool' calls out the time wasters before hurtling into a mischievous one note zippy riff vibe while Dazee joins in for the finale 'Ruffneck Business' goes full on tubular bass thunder. Complete with a massive remix from Aries, it's another top notch ting from the Bristol institution. Spark up!
Review: Bassface Sascha and DJ Phlex are back on the fast-moving train that is jump-up and once more, they've proven adept at bringing to the fore some forward-thinking sounds in that regard. They're a name we know and the name of this release - Pioneers - hints at their long-standing role and is certainly a promising sign. Glitchy and with a satisfying sense of lagged out travel, 'Frozen Solid' starts strong and certainly bites hard, doing so in a fresh, unique manner. 'Burst a Bubble' is step-up in sophistication and nastiness, a snappy, stepping drum line pushing up into its metallic bottom line, this one is a proper creeper and it's such a shame that it won't be heard in the rave anytime soon.
Review: Landing on the prolific Original Key this time around is a Veak and Bassface Sascha, with the former providing an original single and the latter coming in on remix duties. Veak's original draws upon the reggae aesthetic in its sampling and title, and the drums of babylon are throbbing hard in this moody, sub heavy escapade. Bassface Sascha ramps up the drums significantly and opens things up, with a louder mixdown and jump up stabs peppering the top of the range. Lovely.
DJ Phlex & Bassface Sascha - "New Dawn" - (4:45) 175 BPM
Review: Junglist superheroes Ruffneck Ting return with the second sampler from their extraordinary new edition to their on-point album series. As always it's pure foundation business with some exceptional examples of contemporary roughage and choppage. Genetix twists up a fat riff and prods it from every corner on "Something's Brewing", Bristol OGs and label founders Substance & Dazee get serious busy with a shattering dubbed out roller while Jinx & The Force get deep, dark and dangerous with a purring, deep-breath bass that suddenly rises from nowhere in a techno-informed style. Need a little vocal pressure? Jump on Bassface Sascha and Phlex's "New Dawn" and trust us, you'll be feeling good...
Review: German OG Bassface Sascha returns to the sound he made the biggest noise in back in the mid 2000s; balls-out, riff-heavy jump up. With its savage metallic textures and nose-breaking energy, there's a wily ruthlessness buzzing and sizzling throughout. "Klonk", meanwhile, pays homage to the legacy of Clipz with its sweet, simple but seriously savage harmonic Q&A. No nonsense, plenty of drama; Bassface is gunning for the dance right here.
Review: Germany representing! Jump-up representing! Shrust's PDD gathers friends old and new for a riotous kick-start to 2017. It's fire from the off as OG Bassface Sascha lets rip with "Superhuman" which tips a nod to the Supreme Being/Taxman style of late 2000s jumpery before Lustral lays down his nastiest tones on the insanely uncompromising "Z2A". Elsewhere Koznik & Khavy adds a little amen twist on "Killer", Manga scratches our hinds raw as he riddles us with glitches on "Dragon's Claw" and Machines threw a little 90s west coast hip-hop feels before ripping our faces off on "Ears Still Blastin" With more caustic bumpers from Mech, Substainless, Connecta and Cue, this is one seriously explosive package.
Review: Time for a remix tip from Navigator as "Sound The Alarm" gets a working from some Liondub heavyweights. From the monster hench Serum remix to Lost City's dancehall wind and grind, and Brian Brainstorm's frisky, jump up interpretation, it's fair to say there's more than one way to bake a Navigator classic. Heavy ragga vibes with a focus on those battle cry vocals in Sticky Joe's remix is definitely one to look out for. Heavy.
