Review: Aries 2018-released debut album Jungle Style just keeps on giving with another badass bounty of versions. Featuring a whole range of skilled breakbeat craftsmen from hyped newcomers and hidden talents to some of the best in the game, highlights hit from all corners including Saxxon's jazz-tinged tear-up on "Sundays", Kreed's dancehall stepper twist of "I & I" and Benny Page's heavily supported version of "Herbsmoke". High grade business.
Review: Pow! Bcee and Bladerunner on one sweet release? This is the stuff D&B dreams are made of. The two respected players complement each other perfectly; Bcee's depths and soul coupled with Bladerunner's rolling ice and heritage heaviness is an instant win. "Moonstruck" starts all airy and wafty before a bulbous bassline bombards the blend with raw power. "Crash" goes deeper into the bass cosmos with a rich, warm string section that's countered neatly by booming subs and a shiny metallic bassline that purrs with subtle menace. A match made in drum & bass heaven.
Review: A solid member of the D&B scene in the UK for almost a decade yet never seeming to pause above the surface for long, this latest release from Bladerunner could see him gain some well-deserved notoriety. Featuring the biggest, bounciest bass this side of summer and rolling vibes interspersed with soulful sampling, all three tracks offer something a little different. Whether it's the techy nuances of "Dragonfly", the deep growl of underwater bass in "Biological Mutations" or the swagger of perfect dancefloor stepper "The Vision", this is a perfect jump-off point into Bladerunner's solid solo back catalogue. Enjoy.
Review: Few artists - if any - possess the jungle authenticity and all round gully class of Bladerunner. Consistently rolling out timeless treats that remind us how futuristic D&B will always sound in the right hands, here we find him returning to his burgeoning label Hi Resolution with two more straight-up bangers. "Fire From The Sky" twists up about four different bass textures and pours them over you one by one. "Interceptor", meanwhile, is all about the action amens and laser-style bass licks that could melt your skin from 20 paces. Handle with caution.
Review: It's been a year since he last took us on a Hi Res romp but Bladerunner is back on his own label and kicking major jacksy as usual. Four tracks full and not a dry eye in sight, each cut really brings out the Dread alumni's chainsaw bass abilities. "Technological" buzzes with a vicious electrical aesthetic to the bass, "Rolling Fire" is a roaring rip in the space time continuum with classical and future sounds both fusing at 100000mph, "Don't Stop" is nothing short of a jugular slicer while "Wild West" takes us back to the rooting tooting old school with a loose drum swag and much more sinister shadowy bass texture. Full res, high res, Bladerunner for prez.
Review: Roller King and all round jungle don, Bladerunner returns to his Hi Resolution imprint with four more blinding slices of timelessness. "Forever" sets the pace with the classic rolling breaks and psychedelic synth tendrils wafting through the soundscape, "Sub Lo" strips things right back to the bare bones with clapping snares and a grainy one-note bass wobbles while "High Pressure" scorches with a high voltage space-bound bassline and a heads-down tunnelling groove. Finally "Turbo Boost" closes the EP with a vibe that more than lives up to its name... Absolutely savage. Bladerunner doesn't mess around mate.
Review: DJ SS's Formation Records needs no introduction: the longest standing drum & bass imprint of all time, it's been responsible for early releases from so many artists - Nero, Camo & Krooked, John B, G-Dub, The Prototypes and so many more have all come through its ranks. Now preparing us for its landmark 200th release, Bladerunner's "Flying Technique" follows Drumsound & Bassline Smith's "The World Ain't Ready" with some serious ninja naughtiness; a sizzling bassline, barbed wire beats and some deft spoken word samples, it's classic understated Bladerunner.
Review: Unofficially the baddest hombre of the KOTR cartel, Bladerunner steps over to his mate Serum's souper imprint for two understated stinker sessions. "48K Soundboy" huffs and heaves with a nicely distorted bassline that's almost guitar-like in its natural strokes and drums that have a live rattled feel (and some ace pitching on the fills) Multiverse, meanwhile, takes us back with a BC style sci-fi aesthetics and a Charge-style stab in the main riff. Impeccable, as always.
Review: Roller King and all-round G Bladerunner returns on his own Hi Resolution imprint with four more fat slammers. "Power Up" is as close to neuro as you'll find the London artist. All rasping and waspish, it's a high voltage scenario from the slippery breaks to the sinewy reese. "The Crazy Dragon" flips the coin for a riffier jam where the bassline provides a strong melodic bullishness to the blend. "Electric Dreams" is the naughtiest monster of the set with its savage distorted reverse bass warps and wry 2000s-era BC stabs. Last but not least "Bulldozer" brings the curtains down with more of a junglised break and a no-nonsense 1.21 gigawatt bass sizzle. Power moves by name, killer moves by nature.
Review: Bladerunner - one of the members of 2018's breakout act Kings of the Rollers - is back on his very own Hi Resolution imprint for a slammer of a four-tracker. His wicked single 'Rolling Fire' is given the VIP treatment in spectacular fashion with a modulating, expansive bass that just flows and flows. The title track is another absolute hitter, those classic Bladerunner head-nodding drums underpinning a viciously long bassline that curls round to hit you in the face. 'Driving Force' is more bass excellence except its drawn out over a stuttering jungle break, while 'Energy Weapon' is exactly that, a reverberating mash of low-frequency energy - what a weapon. Bladerunner is back.
Review: Oh gosh! Bladerunner touches down with an epic six-track collection on his own Hi Resolution. Running his gully gamut from emotional to electrical to energetical, everything you could possibly need from a Bladerunner EP is right here... The subtle euphoria and piano-touched emotion of "All My Love", the total skin melting sizzles and bassline burns of "Intensity" and the techno-like insistency and dynamism of "Breathe" are just three of many highlights here.
Review: Just listen to that spaced-out groaning bassline on "The Test". If that doesn't take you off to some murky corners of the deep space of your mind, you might have to get a second opinion on those junglist credentials of yours. Classic Bladerunner. The same can be said for "Kick Off". Warming up mildly before dropping into a jagged, aggy riff (underpinned by warm subby wobbles), it lives up to its name in every way. We know you're gonna dig this!
Review: London label further crank up the expectations regarding their upcoming Rise of the Soldiers compilation with a second digi sampler featuring the collective talents of Saxxon and Bladerunner. A strong figure in the UK drum and bass scene for over a decade, Bladerunner makes his presence felt with the taut jungle rollage of "Into The Fire", a collaboration with DNA. Saxxon meanwhile goes solo with the rugged darkside business of "Radio Raheem" that has some superbly programmed drum fills. The Soldiers' uprising will be strong on the basis of these Natty Dub samplers!
Review: Dub Force teams up with longtime Ray Keith cohort Bladerunner on this latest slice of junglist action from the Liondub crew. No surprises here as we are taken deep in with the familiar "Jah Jah is coming" sample offset with some seriously hefty bass pressure and liberally sprinkled hectic amens on "Jah Jah Dub". "Give Me Your Love" slows the pace with hammond organ, reggae chops and dubwise samples all framing a Lover's Rock style yearning vocal and oscillating bass. One for the jungle soldiers.
Review: These are the breaks! Super-longstanding D&B bastion Drum&BassArena unleash their first EP in over 10 years with a special dedication to the driving drum fusion that's powered all our favourite jungle jams: The breakbeat. It's an all-star cast too... Bladerunner does his thing with a classic subby wobble and skippy breaks, Shimon gets his bouncy skank on with Darrison on "Believe It" while June Miller, James Marvel & MC Mota flip the breaks into a steppier, more fractured dancehall/jungle/madness switch up on "Don Dada". Those in need of a hardcore injection of rave purity should seek and support John B's ruthless "ENERGY" and A.M.C & Turno's glacier-blasting tech-jump melter "Ice Cold". Dedication's what you need.
Review: Selector! Jungle Cakes' Welcome To The Jungle series welcomes a bonafide legend to the controls: Ray Keith. Digging deep across the board he's put together over 40 killer tracks from an obscene rollcall: Serum, Vital, Dillinja, Bladerunner, Margaman, T>I, DJ Hybrid, Turno, Filthy Habits, Ed Solo, Deekline and many many more artists are responsible for the savage soul and badman bounce on offer as we're rattled and shaken from pillar to post. From the naughty ragga skanks and turbo reverse bass lashes of Deekline & Ed Solo's "Hot This Year" to Ray's very own seminal "Chopper" via Bladerunner's evergreen breezer "Jungle Jungle" via two mixes and 10 FX tools, this is one of Jungle Cakes' tastiest ever projects to date. Big up the Dark Soldier
Review: Not just one of drum & bass's most iconic female vocalists, but also one of the most respected... Riya's work behind the scenes goes back around 15 years. As a result she's got serious reference points, a genuine understanding of proper drum & bass and a really impressive debut album that features some of the best names in D&B. Ranging from the sci-fi soars and twinkling synths of "Misunderstanding" to the out-and-out gutter slaps of "Piece Of Me" via the soul jazz jungle lushness of "Don't You Know" and the already massive lighter-raiser "As Soon As". Released at a time when a lot of female features are popping up in D&B for all the wrong reasons, Riya is the real deal... And so is this album.
Review: Double trouble: Riya's critically received debut album from summer 2015 enjoys a deluxe twist with double the amount of tracks on. As well as the album itself there are 13 fresh cuts including new originals such as the Gill Scott-style street soul pieces with Maverick Soul "Bittersweet" and "We Belong", the perfect piano-powered gospel roller "Everything" and the grizzly, groaning techy roller "Silhouette". Killer new remixes such as Pola & Bryson's subby switch of "Lost Friends", Break's spotless drums on "Confessions" xxx . Plus a few floor-melting VIPs: the relentless bass pump of "Fear Bites" and the cosmic touches to "Wears Me Down". Deluxe and demonstrative - this is a great addition to an already remarkable album.
Review: Back on Grid, Serum returns with Dread Recording's Bladerunner for a double-dose of D&B winners that can only be described as tight! The clean and punchy drums on both Walk The Walk and Warriors are a marvel, while slick atmospherics float over the top of the mix beautifully. While Walk The Walk has little touches of jungle nestled in between the beats, Warriors brings the bass and some hypnotic futuristic keys. Anyone who heard their last collaboration Snake Fist will rightly be very excited about this release..
