Review: Viper are a big, bad and dangerous label and their 2021 annual is an expression of what makes their output so potent. This whole LP is unafraid to be dancefloor heaviness in an approachable sense, and the whole extended roster has turned up, from label boss Futurebound to Murdock, Blaine Stranger and more. 'Dragon' by the latter is especially good, as a foghorn influenced bass node curls its tendrils amidst a a synthy forest of organic ambience and excellent production. Cyantific and Bl4ck Crowz also impress on 'Waiting 4 U', which stomps its feet in a petulance that's less childish and more chidingly sick, a true festival anthem for sure. The album is a must-listen for all those who rate the Viper side of drum & bass.
NC - 17 - "City On Fire VIP" (feat Replicant) - (5:22) 173 BPM
Review: Viper have been smashing things over on the dancefloor side of the scene for decades and a big part of that is their yearly annual, a compilation which celebrates some of the best releases from the year. One of the best pics of the annual without a doubt is the Annix remix of Pulsation by Mefjus & Insideinfo, a big task for the duo to take on considering how relentlessly classic the original is. But Annix have smashed it with their drawn-out and suspenseful jump uptake, one which sucks all the air out of the room and then releases it as a smorgasbord of warped out energy and choppy force. There are tonnes of other great picks here too, including from new blood Millbrook and others.
Review: New Year doesn't officially kick off until Viper smack you silly with their yearly "Drum & Bass Annual". 2017's edition smacks even harder than usual with no less than 10 exclusives including a Culture Shock/Dimension style roll out from Misfit, Halflight's "Communication Failure" that has enough power to cause a civil war and North Base's "Woman" that has so much seductive soul power to cause a mess in your trousers. Elsewhere The Voss & NC-17 pay respect to the Book Of The Bad on "Mojave" and Blaine Stranger sends you off to cosmoses unknown on "By Your Side". And that's just a handful of the unreleased cuts amid some of the label's biggest releases in recent times.
Review: Twenty eight tracks, 12 exclusives, one mix... Viper smash down the doors of 2016 with an all-encompassing document that portrays D&B broadest, baddest landscape in great detail. Among the out-and-out classics of last year ("Dead Limit", "City Of Gold") you'll find some of Viper's most exciting smashes of the last few years ("One's Own", "What R U Doing?" "Universes") and, most importantly, 12 tracks that have yet to be releases before... Ranging from J Majik's muscular, monster-stomping return ("Drop It") to Toronto Is Broken's savage, skippy tech funker "Zero One", Viper aren't messing around at all on this one.
Review: Always on the lookout for fresh new talent, Futurebound has gathered up a motley crew of incredible newcomers for this, the sixth installment of Viper's Headroom EP series. Featuring five tech-heavy bangers, it's a launchpad for these producers's careers so you can expect it to be a bit good. The likes of Brookes Brothers, Camo & Crooked, Delta Heavy and Prolix all make an appearance in previous incarnations of the series. And just look at them now. Featured on this EP are UK producers Raw Theory, Seismix and Modifed Motion, Australia's Ekko & Sidetrack and Gran Calavera, France's Bluescreens and America's Faction. Get ready to see the future of drum and bass.
