Conrad Subs - "Days Are Numbered" - (5:37) 173 BPM
J Select - "Got To" - (4:04) 174 BPM
Too Greezey - "Always Be Mine" - (4:25) 175 BPM
Disrupta - "Karma" - (4:34) 174 BPM
Speaker Louis & Epicentre - "Unity" - (3:21) 172 BPM
Review: To cap off their three-part anniversary celebrations, Nuusic are laying down the heat on instalment number three. Teej has been one of the main players throughout this series, and with 'War Cry', a minimal roller with the guts of a lion and the roar of one too, as finger-clicking drums bear the weight of something much heavier, a snarling bassline that moves in devilish twists and turns. The vibes are also seriously real on J Select's cut, a spacious number that moves in gruff fits and starts, a barking cut with a catchy sample that smacks of proper rave memories. There's luscious depth on 'Always Be Mine', Speaker Louis and Epicentre finish off the series with the stuttering breaks of 'Unity'. What an LP series and congrats to the crew on three years.
Review: Part two of the Nuusic anniversary celebration, and the halfway point is just as good as the first instalment. It's more of the label's most standout tracks from the last three years, and Conrad Subs' 'Little Vibey Thing' is right up there with the best of them, a swing-heavy vocal-led jungle number that's formed of swelling bass touches, crunchy drum lines and a nonchalant gem of a vocal, one that's halfway between hip-hop and soul. Margaman's 'Teach The Roots' is a masterclass in simple vibes, with a clean percussive centre and edges that wallow in bassy reggae, all of which is deliciously built into a crescendo with a superb build-up. Proper dancefloor stuff.
Review: Nuusic have been around for a grand total of three years now, and a three-part celebration of that fact is now here. This is the first instalment and it's a beauty, with a whole host of artists from the Nuusic orbit stepping up to lay down some serious heat. That's what's on offer here and it's a cut from Kumo - 'Skeng Riddim' - that really steals the show, as inch-perfect stepping percussion murderously underpins a rap-driven, bloated bassline sound which drips urban force from every corner. Serious Wretch 32 vibes on this one. Conrad Subs has two tracks, including a wicked rework of garage classic 'Bump & Grind', and Teej also has several contributions; 'Hydro' being the naughtiest, a drawn-out roller covered in old-school class. Yes lads.
Review: A long time ago, in a land far, far away, Deep in the Jungle unleashed interplanetary destruction on a galactic scale. Not really, but they are channelling the force with this compilation, which ropes in some of the galaxy's fiercest producers to craft old-school riddims with a futuristic touch. Conrad Subs lands all phasers blasting with a bunch of different cuts, and his collaboration 'Rock On' with DJ Hybrid is an absolute percy, a sub-heavy wobbler that oozes funk through brass stabs and a rhythmic, catchy approach. Redline flips a light, fluttery intro into bassline-led low frequency devastation, whilst Kartoon gets old school with his remix 'Lions of Judah' by Sharpz. Unreal stuff.
Review: These two cuts are taken from a forthcoming various artists album on DJ Hybrid's Deep In The Jungle imprint, and the boss himself is joined by Mrs Magoo and Conrad Subs for a single that gets right to the core of the label's ethos. 'Back To 96' is a time travel machine that takes you back to the days of rolling reece basses and frantic percussive work, simpler times when all you needed was the barebones to create a vibe. Conrad Subs goes in a funkier direction, with brash brass notes that lead into a wobbling concoction of bouncing basslines and innocent clubland notes. Cracking.
Review: Nothing can stop Conrad Subs, the man just pumps out so much music, on such a regular basis and with an incredibly wide and diverse array of sounds. This one-tracker on O.R.C is steppy, with jagged basslines that cruise through the arrangement with all the subtlety of a freight train, a dancefloor focused cut that lands harder than you can really comprehend. Shouts to Conrad for this.
Review: Conrad Subs is on Murky Digital with a fiery four-tracker designed very much for the dancefloor. It's one of those singles that you can tell was made with a good time in mind, music that's goal is to bring happiness to a room full of people. 'Dark Sets In' is the first and it's also the fattest, with a giant, stabby bassline that launches out of the blocks with serious energy. 'Expansion' is glitchier and techier, its wobbling synths are full of momentum and the whole track just feels like it's on steroids. One of the bassface crew.
Review: Conrad Subs is on Raider with a fiery four-tracker designed very much for the dancefloor. It's one of those EPs that you can tell was made with a good time in mind, music whose goal is to bring happiness to a room full of people, and what better way to do that than with vibrant jungle beats? 'Conqueror' is the first and it's also the fattest, with a giant, rolling reece bassline that launches out of the blocks with serious energy. 'Dedication' is glitchier and techier, its grating synths are full of momentum and the whole track just feels like it's on steroids. One of the bassface crew.
Review: The second chapter in Deep in the Jungle Anthems 7 is upon us, and there is yet another cacophonous blend of fractious jungle riddims inside. Drawn from artists across the scene both old and new, this LP is the second leg of a journey that's pull you deep through the spiky, rough edges of a the jungle. The crashing force of K Jah's 'Quest' is a good example, as repetitive breaks needle their way into your soul amidst a wobbling sub and jazzy samples. Bish is on remix duties for label boss DJ Hybrid and his tune 'Badboy', which samples possibly one of dance music's most iconic film lines and does so amidst a relentless, rolling instrumental. Sick - there are over 30 tracks inside so get involved.
Review: With some cool, dark, artwork, Conrad Subs has landed on Deep in the Jungle with a hard-hitting five-tracker which combines a penetrating sense of attitude with a non-nonsense approach to musical arrangements. 'Love 4 U' has an warped-out, Souped Up vibe in its arrangement that feels powerful to the extreme and is perfect for a crowded dancefloor, especially with its underpinning in some weighty percussion. 'Funk Me Sideways' is the roller of the EP and grounded in wobbly atmospherics and a sense of space which makes it a pleasure to listen to, its snapping drum line providing the ground rock underneath. The rest are proper sick as well - big ups.
Review: Damageman's Sub Heavy hits the big twenty with this supersized V/A EP from some of the label's nearest, dearest and ruffest of friends. The main man takes the lead with 'Tell You Something', a gently dubby stepper laced with sultry vox and wormy subs. He's backed all the way by the likes of Conrad Subs with the fittingly titled face-ripper 'Hefty One', J.O.E gets his skank on with the bulldozer funk-up 'Likkle Yout Man', DJ Direkt strips things right back to the bare grizzly bones on 'Untitled' while Trauma DBC closes down the EP with a full-on deadly 'Lazer' fight. Beam us up!
Review: Conrad Subs has merged as a true player within jungle corners, his talent for purveying high quality breakbeats encompassed within this EP on. He doesn't mess around on this and if you like your music packed with breaks and basses, this one is for you. 'Fury' epitomises his approach, with a huge groaning bass stab and luscious reece bass providing the backdrop to what is an absolutely banging jungle cut. 'Run it Pon Dem' is just as good, with oodles of space to play in and a delicate yet heavyweight sub. Conrad is back.
Review: Deep in the Jungle continue their onwards march with this, the seventh edition in their widely acclaimed Anthems series, a compilation that always finds the ideal mix of current and future talent to showcase. In the case of the former, well-travelled producers Epicentre and Kumarachi roll things out and tear them down on 'Light Em Up', which features a gnarly array of interlinked bass nodes and torn low frequency sonics, al underpinned by a percussion section that's the perfect blend of rusty and sharp. New talent emerges in the form of Trobe and Mirage, who have their first label release with '89', although you wouldn't have guessed it based off this tune's razor clean percussive edge and expert use of space, a hard thing to get right and one this pair blow out the water here. Rave samples, expansive basslines and a synth arrangement you won't be able to shake - unmissable. 34 tracks later and Deep in the Jungle have nailed every single one of them - big ups.
Review: 'Glory' glory hallelujah, we're barely a week into 2021 and Conrad Subs has already dropped a humungous EP on our laps. Coming via the ever-consistent and check-on-sight label Liondub International, it's a full-spectrum exploration as the Ipswich artist digs deep across the board. 'Higher & Higher' starts us off on a deeper note before 'Glory' goes all in with a raw, rough Dread-style sound before 'Ultron' straps us into a rocket and shoots us beyond the known galaxy. Wrapping up the EP we have the techno influenced 'Scatter' and the cheekiest, junglised head-chopper of the set: 'Murda Style'. Killer material.
Review: It appears that the Ghetto Dub Recordings team has assembled one hell of a roster for this one as they unleash the fully unmixed version of the Dubz: ReRubbed album project, allowing us to enjoy each and every tune in its full majesty. We find the perfect balance of high intensity dancefloor danger and more stripped back rollers throughout the compilation, from the Phibes remix of Wrecked from Vinyl Junkie & Sanxion giving us a gritty, synth lead smackdown to the much more junglist inspired recreation of Java's 'Screwface' from Aries. There are a few standouts throughout this eclectic selection, including Epicentre's monstrous sub-driven rework of 'We Up There' from Bill & Ed, alongside Veak's neurotic overhaul of Subcriminal's 'Mack 10' and the system rattling recreation of Flat T's 'Proceedings Closed' from Durban. What a selection this is!
Review: This is the first sampler to drop ahead of the next Deep in the Jungle Anthems LP, and since we're seven deep into this series already, you'll know just how hard they tend to hit. This sampler is no exception and the team have roped in a handful of the best in the game. Napes steps up first for a remix of 'Madman' by DJ Hybrid and the result is furious expression of breaks and bass, a flurry of energy that starts on the drop and doesn't let up for a second, its old school vibe cut through with modern jump up force. Janaway's cut - 'Know Dem' - is especially sick, with stepping drums and an infectiously funky bassline that ripples with high frequency energy. Conrad Subs lives up to his name with the subby monster that is 'When Its Time', and Tony Ross keeps things minimal on 'Marathon'. Sick.
Review: Conrad Subs. The Radster. The Subster. The man who's been thoroughly unavoidable in D&B this year. He's back on Original Key, an early label to support him on his current quest for world domination, and you need to pay attention. 'Coma' is a staccato prangy banger with trippy clipped rave tones leading the charge, 'Evergreen' is the sound of an asteroid shower happening in your head while 'Hardcore Heaven' fuses hands-in-the-air hardcore pianos and a contemporary gutter-chomping filth groove. Finally we close with 'M16' for a little dubbed-out system-primed funk. Wake up and smell the bangers.
Review: Damageman lands on Murky Digital with a dancefloof focused journey through D&B's rougher side. Murky Digital don't have a reputation for being a label that'll hold your hand and this is clearly evident throughout Revenge, none more so than on the title track. With a barebones, stripped back approach that's reminiscent of Digital or Spirit, Damageman combines old-school sampling with a distinct rawness to emphasise the track's low-frequency weight. This style is replicated across the other tunes to varying degrees but there's one constant: unadulterated sounds with the aim of serious dancefloor pressure. If that's your thing, then this EP is certainly for you.
Review: 10 years deep and counting; DJ Hybrid's Audio Addict are celebrating the big milestone with a whole brace of absurd updates on already slamming originals. Digging deep over the archives, the likes of Kastro, Hexa, Rantic, Dunk, Shayper, Zoro, Epicentre and many more all get their grubby mitts on some serious Audio Addict classics. Highlights include Zoro's brilliantly bubblesome old school twist on DJ Hybrid's 'Mix & Blend', Crossy's spacefunk bass grunts on his remix of Kartoon's 'Soundboy Surrender' and Epicentre's insane twists and touches on his remix of Scattyone's 'Give It To Me'. And that's just the tip of the remix iceberg. Huge shouts to Audio Addict for 10 years of ardent, loyal service!
Review: Audio Addict are turning ten years old, a fantastic achievement, and to mark the occasion the good people over there are releasing a wicked compilation that draws upon lots of the artists in their orbit. This first sampler features Disrupta, Jappa, Subcriminal, Crossy and K Jah across a five-track showcase of just how gully this label can be, with all five artists stepping up to remix tracks from the label back-catalogue. Disrupta takes the reins first and does so with aplomb, putting a fiery spin on DJ Hybrid's 'Shoot Em Up' and flipping it into a warped-out engine of pure dancefloor energy. At the end of the release, K Jah comes with a distinctly different vibe that's much more rough and tumble, a bouncy yet relentless bassline sitting beneath a sampled vocal from Liam Bailey that sounds unreal. Top EP and we can't wait for the full version.
Review: Doe, a deer, a female deer. Ray a drop of golden sun. That's The Sound Of Music, circa 1965. Boh, a banger, an absolute banger. Whey, a drop of golden gunfingers. That's the 'Sound Of Nuusic', circa right about now as the Manchester based label let rip with their third V/A experience. Now an annual thing for the label, it's their biggest collection yet as it's super-charged with blaze-ups from the best in the new-gen game. From Sl8r's opener to Conrad Subs' grand VIP finale by way of cuts from the likes of Teej, Sola, Kuma, Epicentre, Kumarachi, Motiv, Selecta J-Man and many more on-point future headlining names, this isn't just the sound of Nuusic, it's the sound of now.
Review: DJ Hybrid's Deep In The Jungle label is one of the hottest destinations for first class jungle that exists right now, and his curational skills are back in force with this four-tracker from Conrad Subs and Grimesy, two producers who are absolutely on a roll. This is proper barebones stuff and two worlds are merged with the dulcet vocal tones of Lizzy Stringer on 'Time', which sees vocal magic float above a tight, penetrating jungle beat. There is a reece bass to die for on 'Red Rum', whilst 'Golden Era' sees a warped-out foghorn bash around its clattering junglist foundations with serious attitude. Top release.
Review: Conrad Subs is just unbelievably prolific and it seems like every week brings at least one new release from the man who is on undeniably good form right now. He works across a litany of labels and this time it's the turn of Dutty Bass Audio, who are an ideal staging point for his wicked blend of junglist tones and jump up flavours. It's a combination embodied in this release, which moves from the deep, rolling sounds of 'Accumulate' to 'Hard's inch perfect, precision percussion and stabbing back end. 'What Is Love' is another highlight, as furious drums crescendo into mutating basslines, whilst 'Swerve' takes a similar and equally effective approach. Big ups.
Review: All time original jungle label outta Caledonian Road, London, is 24 Karat, a platform that since its inception in '94 has tirelessly delivered all matter of drum and bass that over the years has morphed through hip hop, grime and trap while remaining a central port of call for UK club culture. Deep into 2020 the label presents Heavy Hitters: Volume Two - a 23-track large compilation that brings back productions from new signings Armada, DugBass, Destiny and Sasha Khan ("Soundclash") to established regulars and in-house pioneers like DJ Direkt, Keith Patience, Pablo G and label boss Danny Styles. Introducing new flavours from the freshly signed H2O and Juxt with the dreddly "Danger Dubs", other highlights include DJ Direkt & Faysha's demented "Killa" alongside the the grubby dubs and rave of Dugbass in "The Lies". It's a knockout.
Review: Edging closer and closer to the big 100, Ten Ton Beats whip out another massive "All Killers" collection. Consistently showcasing the most exciting talents at the forefront of the jump-up sound, episode eight is no exception as TTB friends old and new all collide on the collection. Highlights include the minimal slap-about from Ruff Cut's LVB ("Bad Boy Dub"), some high frequency blasts on the raucous "Deal Wid It" by Conrad Subs, several part jammers from MQ (the bubbly "Bootcut Slut" and the dark style basher "Human Filth") GAW's barking mad "Loser" and a whole slew of savage collaborations from Project Lando including the powerful message and mid 2000s Logistics style of "Drop The Knife". Absolute murderation!
