Review: Every now and then we get the great pleasure of witnessing a legend return to releasing, with today being one of those days. The infamous Coki is back in business as he links up with Don't Get It Twisted to drop two absolute scorchers. We begin with 'Dub Grinder', a spacey, dub-influenced roller, jam packed with unusual drum processing and potent sub-lines to bring us something very fresh indeed. On the flip-side we see the more lethal side of Coki's production character as we are introduced to 'Winter Is Coming', a synth heavy club smasher, designed to knock the block off a dance with his colourful synthesizer pushes and snare smashes. It's good to see him back.
Review: There is no getting away from the fact that Coki is a living legend within the dubstep scene. Therefore, when we see him return for another release, this time linking up with the super consistent Hatched imprint, we couldn't help but jump for joy. We kick this one off with the widened LFO flutters of 'Close Up', which in typical Coki fashion provides us with an earth shatteringly unpredictable bass textures, followed by the more dubwise inspired vibes of 'Imperial'. This is then followed in style by the creeping melodies and scattered snare patterns of 'Rahtid', with 'Sea Moss' then providing us with some real nostalgic dubstep flavour.
Review: Time for our annual Coki dispatch! Last spotted on Hatched's twelfth instalment in 2016, the DMZ don returns with more low end gems. Each cut shuddering with raw rootsical nature, it's a mystic trip from start to finish. "Azazel" glows with an island sunset theme, "Dub Worker" ripples with soft skanks and bounces with bulbous bouncy bass, "Rebellion" is a future sing-along slab of powerful consciousness while "No Lay Lay" finishes us off with a venomous wobble and grime style stabs in a way only he knows how. No laying around on this one.
Breathing (feat Jack Shaw & Trixx) - (4:40) 140 BPM
Messenger - (4:08) 140 BPM
Cool N Deadly - (4:38) 140 BPM
Breathing (feat Trixx) - (4:36) 140 BPM
Review: Dubstep pioneer Coki, one proud half of the Digital Mystikz duo alongside Mala, doesn't out a whole load of music these days, so to see him land on Hatcha's Hatched label with four new cuts is kind of a big deal. This is even more special thanks to the fact that he finally seems to be making music that he enjoys outside of the wobble-bass continuum; Hatched 12 is essentially a collection of cutting-edge dub tracks with a subtle electronic, London sensibility. Take "Breathing", for example, a solid dub stepper that would make the likes of Jah Shaka proud like the lion of Judah. Even "Messenger" is utterly heartical in its approach, and the only time we're faced with a hint of DMZ days is through the louder, brasher bass tones of "Cool N Deadly". FIRE!
Review: Coki makes a welcomed return to the airwaves after a three-year hiatus. Yes, it's been a whole three years since THAT seminal collab with Benga ("Night") in 2008 and a further two years more since his last solo venture - "Tortured / Shattered" - in 2006. Coki flips things on the proverbial lid here with a couple of quirky cuts; first up "Boomba" pairs shaking sub bass wobbles with lacerating lasso whips, a curious harpsichord melody, abstract rhythms and glorious Joker style synth work. This is complimented by "Carbon Aliens" - a lurching halfstep monster with gurgling SFX and smashing drum kicks that will bring the fear of god into you.
Review: No other label can rep dubstep like Tempa. Many would argue it was the first label to truly herald and nourish the sound. Here they explore their vaults and dust off some of the most genre-defining, idiosyncratic tracks that have helped shape the phenomenon we know today. From SPMC's paranoid murker from 2008 "Trust Nobody" to a whole series of Skream sessions such as "WTF", "Wibbler" and "Vacillate", the collection is a reminder of how influential Tempa has been, how talented their roster has always been and, most importantly, how slamming and stimulating dubstep can be when nourished and developed by the right label. Recognise.
DJ Madd - "The Life You Chose" (Distance remix) - (4:38) 140 BPM
Stinkahbell - "Film Noir" - (5:37) 140 BPM
Sleeper & Thelem - "Arrakis" - (5:15) 140 BPM
Kryptic Minds - "The Divide" - (5:32)
Various - "This Is Dubstep 2013" (continuous DJ mix - part 1) - (1:13:24) 140 BPM
Various - "This Is Dubstep 2013" (continuous DJ mix - part 2) - (1:09:30) 140 BPM
Review: Sixth in the series, This Is Dubstep is one of the more comprehensive, on-point series the scene has given us (ie: many!) Across the 40 tracks every single shade is covered; from rave-tinged (Noisia's remix of "Smack My Bitch Up") to all-out technicolour bass (Drumsound & Bassline Smith), This Is Dubstep 2013 pays respect to all corners of the dance - including the really far-out experimentations of Mala and his Cuban project. With exclusives such as V.I.V.E.K's "Barcelona" and Killawatt's "Single Entity" thrown in for good measure, this isn't just a summary of today's dubstep; it's a slice of the future too.
