Review: Rejoice! The famously prolific Calibre has compiled his eighth 'Shelflife' compendiums and the world already seems like a brighter place. As always, it's a snapshot of his archives and hard drives over the years as he digs out gems through the ages that he either didn't get round to releasing or felt weren't ready for release. As always, it covers a vast range of his styles as we're treated to the likes of rattling golden age liquid bombs like 'Breather', swinging steppers like the crisp kicks and jazzy flurries of 'Chantily', the dreamy swirls and cosmic Good Looking style leanings of 'Wirly' and the beautiful 'No Sense' that many will instantly recognise from LSB and DRS's Space Age mixes. As always, Calibre is untouchable...
Review: When looking through the legendary imprints of dubstep in the UK and worldwide, there aren't many people that won't have Deep MEDi Musik in their top 3 imprints. To celebrate this dominance over the last 15 years, They have pulled together some of their most popular drops from across the years to be re-released in full digital quality. The tracklisting couldn't be more epic if it tried, with the likes of Commodo, Skream, Pinch, Gantz, Kromestar and more. It's a truly outstanding collection and a true celebration of the creativity found within the dubstep sound, a focus point that Deep MEDi have always been at the forefront of. Featuring 20 of the most popular drops from the label's extensive catalog, this is a collection you don't want to miss.
Review: Not content with releasing a full dubstep / 140 album at the start of the year, Calibre now proceeds to shuts down 2021 with another one of his highly anticipated dub collections. Now on its seventh edition, this particular 'Shelflife' hits the spot with a whole host of long sought-after cuts like the crisp shimmering guitars of 'Cure Amen' and the wonderfully unhurried and cosmic 'Black Mountain' (with Jet Li). Elsewhere we're battered by the deep rolls and lavish swing of 'Dumplings & Stew', the heavy drama of 'Snoopy' and sci-fi halftime of 'Blimp Op'. And that's barely scratching the surface. Big up Calibre each and every time.
Review: When we are discussing the modern greats of electronic music production, there's no way we can have that conversation without Calibre's name coming into the mix and blend. This brand new album via the team at Signature takes the title 'Feeling Normal' and is a straight up masterclass, from the stunning breakbeat-driven soundscapes of 'Barren' and 'Man Got Sandwich' to the colourful post-garage designs of 'Feeling Normal' and 'Time To Breathe' alongside Cimone. It has a touch of everything and the quality levels just don't seem to dip, regardless of whatever genre or style we are hearing. There are also some serious highlights, with 'Badman' alongside DRS being a somber, post-dubstep homage, 'Has To Happen' being a sumptuous, emotive roller and 'Predictable' being a futuristic steppers delight. Incredible work as expected!
Review: Calibre returns with another collection of unreleased gems throughout the ages. Famously themed by his bewilderingly fast and consistent proliferation, once again it's a broad range of Dominick Martin's finest flavours. From the delicate smoky soul of the yearning "Years" to the already massive rubber-ball bassline vibe-out "Crazy For You" via the premium funk of "Latin 2000" and system-shaking rudeness of "Pillow Dub", every track on here hits the spot... But would you expect anything less from the don they call the Music Man?
Review: V Recordings do some of the best compilations in the business and their brand new Foundation series is a natural recognition of that fact. They're not being hyperbolic with the usage of the term 'Foundation' either, because this is truly an overview of some of the scene's most foundational producers. Old-school Dillinja, Krust, Roni Size and DJ Die, amongst others, make up the roster of acts that formed an integral part of the genre back in the day. The new crew is also represented, however, in the form of L-Side, Think Tonk, Nasza Linez and loads more, all of whom bring some of that V-style heat. Wicked album - one for the heads.
Review: Dominic Martin returns with an EP that's deep even by his standards. Stirring corners of your soul you didn't even know existed, "Falls To You" is a heart-breaking piece of work that trembles under his lonely vocals and delicate layers of instrumentation. "Crawler" lures back into the dance with a mystical cascades and far-away beats while "The Spirit" breezes and rattles with a dubby, slo-mo 140 style. A one of a kind EP from a one of a kind artist; sublime.
Review: When it comes to making drum and bass that strikes a balance between the needs of DJs and home listeners, few are better than Dominick Martin AKA Calibre. It's for this reason that the album format suits him so well. The Deep, his 12th full-length in total, could well be his best set yet. Jam-packed with effortlessly soulful moments, evocative piano flourishes, rich live instrumentation and yearning vocals, it's a far more expansive and ambitious set than most D&B albums. It also supplements his trademark, club-ready rollers with tracks that look to modern soul, jazz breaks, dub and R&B for inspiration. Throughout, Martin barely puts a foot wrong, delivering a set that more than stands up to repeat listens.
Review: A time for reflection: Total Science closes down their 20th year of C.I.A case files with another precision reflection over past conquests and gully accomplishments from their collection of labels. Ranging from one of Calibre's first ever cuts (the raffish, wonderfully unkempt "Tempo Dub") and Bad Company's stupendous grime-funk twist on "Champion Sound" to Break's 2012 gritty slapper "Rare Earth" and Digital's life-changing, amen-smashing bassline slammer "No Reality", Spinback and Quiff have dug deep through the ages for some absolute gold here.
Review: Double decade business: Total Science celebrate their label's big two-oh with an on-point collection of ageless constructs from friends old and new. Naturally, everyone arrives to the party in their sharpest finery; Break's cheeky rave references on the juiced up "Unified", the ugly undertones and system-melting weight of Total Science, Digital & Spirit's incredible "Apply The Pressure", Calibre's cosmic ping-pong jam "The Trot", Nymfo's dreamy harmonic heaven "Game Of Love", The Invaderz swashbuckled drum session "Be Around"... Not one player has tailored a shabby garm, ensuring well-suited jams for decade to come.
Review: 20 years: time flies when you're busy being Total Science, one of D&B's most consistent banger outlets of all time. Celebrating two decades of their influential label, here they deliver four tracks that won't appear on their anniversary album; DLR provides two versions of Quiff's 93 agenda-setter "Champion Sound" while Calibre does what he does best on the piano on "Under Bars" and Total Science themselves lick up a dubby system shocker that tips a wry nod at the likes of Digital and Spirit.
Review: 11 years deep and still sounding crisp, soulful and unique: The second of what's now an album count of 10 (12 if you count his folky Dominick Martin albums) Second Sun is largely recognised as Calibre's strongest statement of intent (pre-Even If). While Musique Concrete showcased his skills, it's here where he really brought them together in a way that pleased both DJs and music lovers. From the car chase wah wahs of "Is It U" to the slower mood switcher "Don't Watch This" via the bold brass licks of the title track, this captures a golden moment in both the career of Calibre and drum & bass at large. If, for some bizarre reason, this isn't already in your collection now is most certainly the time rectify this matter.
Review: No other artist in the game could pull a stunt like this off: Such is his proliferation, Calibre's Shelflife series are his way of gathering ideas that he felt weren't right for single releases, or dubs that he just never got round to putting out. As with previous editions, the whole collection rolls like an album due to his consistent, spacious signature. Highlights: How about every track? You need specifics? The piano-slapping sunny-side opener "Latin Way", the big jazzy washes and lolloping rolls on "Model Way", the pushy, gritty breaks on "Spirit Catcher", the wriggling drums, stark minimalism and mid 2000s techno feel to the hook on "Underfire". We could go on and on. It's Calibre - you know what to do.
Review: More solid soul gold from the man like Dominick Martin: "Another" spins on the axis of two really well chiselled vocal samples and a bassline that hums so heavily you think a tank is following you where you go. "Posh Boy" reminds us of Calibre's darker side with its teeth-baring bassline and mean minimal attitude. "Dreamz Dub" starts as a sub-soaked minimal monster before subtle strings emerge mid-mix with emotional effect. "Believe It" plays the consummate show stopper with light-to-moderate pads and another precision placed vocal. In a nutshell: lush. But we wouldn't expect anything less from Calibre.
Review: Fresh Calibre - is there a finer thing? And in this disappointing summer of damp barbeques and dead beer gardens, there's nothing we all needed more right now than this, a quadruple helping of thick-bassed freakiness. Kicking off with "Bogeyman Bullshit" for some deep bass wobbling, "Smother" gathers the techy nuances of Marcus Intalex and Bricktop and "Multi-Tasking" bangs and whomps its way through hard stepping kicks and rolling snares. Final tune "Dream Of You" brings in vintage dub heaviness alongside retro synths for a seriously deep slice of originality. Serious banger!
Review: CIA are bringing out the big guns with this intense selection of stone cold classics and fresh new sounds. Not content with already leading one of the finest talent-led subgenre revolutions, Computer Integrated Audio have brought together some of the biggest names around to lay out the future of drum and bass for all to see. From Smyla & Script's massive floor destroyer "Stockpile" to the unforgettable "Soul Patrol" from the men themselves Total Science and featuring acts like Enei, Spy and Riya, Serum, Break, Digital and Nymfo along the way, it's a thing of wonder to behold. Don't get caught out.
Review: It seems the full CIA cast list has come out for this entirely massive release and holy moly is it a large one. Kicking things off with the legendary Total Science guys and the one and only S.P.Y headed up by Chroma on remix duties, "Whoonga" is a relentless roller, pushing on through dark bass and sparks of light from harsh pads and electric samples. In "Stoned", Calibre calms his intensity levels for a chill roller packed with lucid dreamy sounds and tight percussion. Riya joins old friends Total Science to lend her sultry vocals to a crisp, soulful stepper in "Walk The Same Lines" and Utopia henchman Mako
Review: We've been waiting for this since Doc Scott fired up his old ThirtyOne machine just over a year ago. A 24-track collection of stone cold exclusives, this bucks any expectations of the label and its remit and celebrates the very best creativity in all shades of drum & bass. Littered with the best names in the game (Calibre, Nucleus & Paradox, Bungle, Loxy & Resound, Scar, Marcus Intalex and many many more), each cut pushes the bass and riddim envelope with stark, uncompromised creativity and production muscle. The ultimate document of where the best D&B is at, this is nothing short of essential.
Review: Does drum and bass get any better than this? Two of the finest names in the genre club together for "Run Away", met in the middle by the man like Fox who puts his vocal stylings into the mix. Rolling out smooth, it's that lulling bassline and softly-spoken chorus that takes the edge off punchy drums and signature Intalex-style strings from the pad section. Fans have been waiting for a release on this for some time now - finally, it's ownable. Showing that they can still deliver tastier goods for the dancefloor, "Something Heavy" is a funk-fuelled hips-mover with Fox sending out his raggamuffin sounds over down and dirty bass. You've heard it in the dance, now get it on repeat.
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