Review: Bristol's Vulcan Audio has been known to release some rather tasty dubstep concoctions - never afraid to go that one toke over the line and deeper into the quagmire of low end bass. Their latest release comes from the D Operation Drop crew, and it's no surprise that it's a pure half-step monster of an EP. "Slammer" sets the tone of what's to come with almighty fury, bringing out the drops early, with "The Addition" sounding like its angrier, more aggressive spawn. "Confused", as the name suggests, is a twisted mass of percussion and mutant bass swirls, and "Trench" ties things up with a final stroke of fury. Let's not forget Sparxy's refix of "Slammer", though - it's a beast. Big up.
Review: Bacon Dubs continue to live up to their tasty reputation with this trio of treats from Italy's D Operation Drop crew. "Razorblade" wafts with jazzed out minor key washes before dropping into a well-oiled mechanical groove that purrs with precision engineering. "Draft", meanwhile, is more techno than it is dubstep thanks to a pounding 4/4 and driving, nagging percussive elements. "Defection VIP" closes the show. Originally surfacing around spring 2013, its minimal mischief has been chubbed up with additional counter basslines and more robust drum arrangement. Crispy.
Review: D Operation Drop are firing on all cylinders right now with current killer releases on the likes of Tuba, NoMad and now Redshift. The title track inspires memories of early Tricky material thanks to its moody spoken word vocal, spat carefully over stuttering, molten bass licks. "Treezen" is a much more percussive affair as a whole orchestra of hand drums and shakers fuse to paint a demonstratively dark picture. "Combine" brings us to a techno-induced climax as the riddim leans heavily on a thundering kicks and yet more bright, tight percussive elements. Fans of Icicle's material will be all over this.
Review: Tuba are enjoying their best year to date with some exceedingly forward-thinking releases right now. Italian collective D Operation Drop are the perfect example with these two deep, pensive compositions. "Origami" runs amok with wild percussion that jumps and jitters with jazz sensibility and soothing chords that, like the title suggests, fold into themselves shyly. "Genesis" is deeper again with tightly layered aquatic percussion elements, sorrowful pads and guttural bass groans. If you're looking to hypnotise your floor this summer, look no further.
Review: New artillery of dubstep swelters from the on-fire FatKidOnFire imprint - yessir! Militant bass vibes and deathly percussive stabs all-round with this new four-way compilation from a bunch of newcomers, and it's all very much in the typical spirit of the label. "Fear Spud" by D-Operation Drop is like a war march guided by a band of low frequencies, Iskeletor's "Charizard" is a wild, venomous slice of neuro-funk with a broken beat, while "S.90" by Saule is a more typical dubstep anthem a-la DMZ, and Bukez Finezt goes more acoustic with his harmonious bass experiment tagged "False Friends". Bad.
Review: The team at Circle Vision have set out and made a serious statement with this one, as their 'Various Visions' series returns for It's second helping with four fresh originals from four of the coldest in the dubstep scene right about now. We begin with D-Operation Drop who lands a heavyweight punch in 'Fried Chicken' before man of the minute: Zygos appears with a percussive heavy piledriver in 'BAtte noir'. Next up, Hebbe arrives on the scene with a haunted episode of bitcrushed leads and floating subs on 'Sixes & Sevens', before Mrshi sees the EP out in style with his triplet-driven scorcher 'Biter'.
Review: Lately we've witnessed well-respected dubstep imprints announce their spin-off release series. Subaltern Records is amongst those few, launching its first various artist compilation on the 20th of October 2017. Entitled as "Kaleidoscope" you can expect music from respectively Helktram, D-Operation Drop, ILL_K, Shu and Zygos on Volume 1. Interestingly quite a few new signees are being introduced to Subaltern via this four track EP, which makes us even more excited for the series' future. Briefly, this compilation of different styles and artists, attentively picked by label owner Mentha, is blending all together smoothly like a Kaleidoscope.
Review: As ever with Moonshine Recordings, they have delivered us a seriously top notch selection as they unveil sixteen tracks of sweet reggae bliss. We have one of a line up on the table as we see names such as G Roots, Frenk Dublin, Blind Prophet, Adam Prescott and more throw us contributions as rootsy flavours are given a 2019 face lift. There are some clear standouts from this work, despite all sixteen tracks being absolute show stoppers, including 6Blocc & General Jah Mikey's system-ready stomper 'Too Rude' and the euphoric horn manoeuvres of 'Enchanted Dub' from Halcyonic, G Roots, Digid & Vale. The whole project is excellent, and we are super stoked to have it available here at Juno Download.
Review: Reviewed By Duploc:
Today we're inspecting the construction site of Artikal Music UK's next project. Founder J:Kenzo employed eleven professional and highly skilled architects to carefully design, build and create a handcrafted compilation full of music he admires. As J:Kenzo explains: "The tracks included were filtered through from artists that have previously released on Artikal or have some connection with myself either being played on my Rinse FM shows or live sets". Considering the quality of each and every track, only two years of fabrication to finish off this product is remarkably short. Volume One of "The Architects" reflects J:Kenzo's refined taste in dubstep and drum and bass. On the 2 x 12" record, you'll find some absolute masterpieces from amongst others D-Operation Drop, Causa, Compa, Argo, DubDiggerz and J:Kenzo himself. The Architects' series, a yearly showcase filled with content from the label's artists plus VIP and remixes as well as bringing through new talent, will make the foundations of dubstep shake undoubtedly.
Review: Whether it's as a performer, a producer or a label head honcho, J:Kenzo has never done things by halves, so Artikal's debut long player was always going to be special. 15 exclusive cuts from the label's talented family and friends, this collection of contributions doesn't just document where bass music is at, but where it's heading. Each track is a highlight in itself, but it's cuts like the slinky hypnotic groove and cosmic congas of TMSV's "Scorpion", Sleeper's star-gazing, dub-drenched sub science of "Coxsone Dub", Skeptical's lesson minimalism and aggy restraint ("Skavenger") and Eshone's treacle-like dirge "Qualia" that really represent the depth, scope and vision of Artikal. Designed for the dance, arranged so well it works as an entire listening experience, Artikal don't do things by halves.
Review: Brooklyn-based bass dealers Tuba blow their sub trumpet with a rich collection that spans their impressive history so far. Ranging from the meditative steps and jazz shimmers of Subreacher's "Future Target" to the techy breakbeats, sub-soaked steps and dreamy breakdown of D-Operation Drop's "Origami" via the ghostly, cavernous resonance of Below's self-title nightmare soundtrack, Tuba have curated a fine selection that represents their clear and confident contributions to the ever morphing and mutating dubstep sound. If you've not picked up on any of these yet, now is most certainly the time!
