Review: Get your air lasers, air daggers and air horns ready and prepare to fire/stab/blast them into the sky at these new next level textures from the fast rising UK artist Dub Sense. At moments it's pure face melting grot (such as the raw fire of "Extortion" and the gutter chomping grease of "Kev Thompson"), at others it suddenly flips into peaceful, rush caked bliss such as "Resurrect" and the mad switch flip of lasers / soulful jazz textures of "Involved"... Best get your air saxophone ready for that one. Murderation.
Review: Audio Overload regular Flaco kick starts the new year with his first solo release for the label since 2019's 'Perspective' EP. Two tracks, two trips; 'Technology' does the luddite lambada with its grizzled bass and tongue in cheek sample while 'Unbalanced' is a little deeper with its dubby synth echoes and rubber ball bassline. Once again the spoken word sample is precision business. A very smart release to commence 2021.
Review: Falco's Deadlight's single on Raw Motion isn't one of those releases for people who like to sit back, sip on a mug of matured whisky and debate the stylistic evolution of music. It's not about pretention, it's about having a good time and for that purpose it's ideally suited. Two tracks full of dancefloor vigour, Falco has achieved his presumed goal of making music that'll get people moving. 'Deadlights' has that Souped Up-esque forcefulness to its bass lines, that torn, ripping feel that only a proper foghorn will get you; 'Surprised' hits that suspense in the build perfectly, leading in the snapping drums underneath something very special.
Review: Dubstomp 2 Bass are the Birmingham based imprint of madmen who, day-in-day-out, push forth some of the vilest beats known to both the Midlands and the UK more broadly. Falco is their latest alumni and, judging from this EP, he's graduating with a first in D&B studies. 'Notification' is the standout tune from the album, a deep and dark roller that sits comfortably within current D&B trends and which hits harder than a train that's just gone off the rails, its knockout snare drum and monochromatic bassline effortlessly moving about the arrangement. 'Overthinking' gets light and 'Colliision' is the naughty kid of the groups and knows it, whilst 'Declared Hostile' is another vicious rolling little number. Cop this one.
Review: It's clear what vibe Falco and Skamm are going for when you see the artwork for this release: a medieval scene with ravens in the foreboding, stormy sky and a pitiful peasant hanging by his arms, waiting to die. That's the vibe here: mortal, scary and pitiless. You can hear it in the tunes, too, with the title track pulsating out the murky vibes faster than you can say 'lets ave it'. The other three tracks lie in similar territory, the grating injection of force on 'Vitalized' sitting up there with the best of them. Another EP worth picking up from the Dubstomp crew.
Review: Woi! Audio Overload invite a bunch of mates around for their biggest V/A EP to date. Jedi, Parasite, Falco and Midst all on one release and all sounding fine: Jedi takes the lead with a deeper example of his repertoire on the Die-style swing of 'Feels Naughty', Parasite goes all bubbly and Dread bass style on the rolling bruk-up 'Big Up', Falco brings the sunny-side skank vibes on the dubwise 'Business Deal' before Midst brings things to a powerful close with 'War Dogz'. A big subby hummer with a dusty old soul sample on it, this rattles with authenticity right down to the bones. Take it back, pay it forward...
Review: Every now and then, you just want a release that slams start to finish. No frills, no pretence of trying to be something that it isn't, just solidly banging D&B that gets your head nodding and your feet moving. Lymitless has done that here and this single is a run of attitude-packed jump up, all of which would sound fat through a sound system. 'No Animation' is a highlight, vocal samples leading you in into a fluttering array of jagged synth-lines and boom-bap drum hits, a vibe that's quickly transferred across into 'Requirement (VIP' - snapping percussive hits, moody bass notes and melody that oozes power.
Review: There aren't many things better than a wicked MC EP, as their vocal flavours provide a constant anchor for a subsequently more diverse, more exciting range of production quality. That's exactly what's happened here, as MC Weedy joins up with Jedi, Falco, Mackz and Lowlife to form a five-tracker outing in fiery jump-up flavours. It's a proper riot, and no track fills that roll better than Macks, whose production on 'Top Of The World' is absolutely classic old school flavours that reminds us of early Hazard or Sub Zero. Jedi flips a hip-hop intro into a choppy, naughty piece of work on 'Amber', whilst Falco rolls out the foghorn business on 'Quid Pro Quo'. Unreal.
Review: Midst has handed a big release to fans of the dirty jump-up sound over on Audio Overload. From the beginning, you can tell 'Shirley' is going to be heavy and as menacing bass strabs build up into preparatory drum skits, your feelings are confirmed. A growling hurry rushes out to meet you; powerful and more than willing to shove you around. 'Toga' is the next offering, a glitchy mash of jump-up, permeated by rattling arrays of bassy synths and an ever-present sense of movement. Nice and solid, this release is a statement of intent from Midst.
Review: Buckle-up rudeboy, two of Manny's finest link-up for this blazing six-shooter. 'The Real Don' by name, total Gs by nature; Niterider's stripped-back bumps and thumps are the perfect playground for Madrush who's on major dancehall battle cry mode across the EP. Highlights include the riot bassline and throaty overtones of 'Don Gorgon', the swaggering heat of 'Go Mad' and the softer, contemplative sci-fi finale 'Sleeping Pattern'. Dons get it twisted.
Review: Dubstomping around the Christmas tree, have a happy holiday as DS2B continue this year's new V/A series with a generous blast of fresh talent for your festive season. Featuring a range of close label allies, and showcasing a sound across the board from sharp, scrappy jump up to ominous, bulldozer foghorns, it's another full spectrum D&B assault. Highlights include Jedi's Need For Mirrors-esque tripper stepper 'Guns Of Navarone', Midst's disco-tinged grot on 'Your Ears' and Pruf's firing rave homage 'Flashback'. The list goes on. Everyone dancing merrily.
Review: Audio Overload who have developed a reputation for going in all guns blazing, having released a string of releases over many years which don't play nice with your feelings. Now, they're launching the second part of their Jacked compilations series and it's top quality, with sounds that span a wide variety of styles, from rolling stuff to dirty naughtiness. 'Nuclear Inspectors' by Falco is definitely in the latter category and it's definitely one of the best on the release, with a cavernous bassline of spinning twirls and a pulsating epicentre that pushes out the rest of the track in a slick fashion. One to cop, this.
Review: Strength in numbers! The ever-heavy, ever-ready Dubstomp 2 Bass family unite once again for the second instalment of their DS2B Collective series. Familiar faces all the way as we're reminded of how forthright and firesome the label's output is; Jedi brings his signature dancefloor weight and trippiness with cuts like "Donald Duck", DEEb brings the emotions and subversive dynamics with and Falco's epic "Hysteria", Lowlife gets twisted with his moaning, groaning basslines with his contributions (especially "The Other Side") while newcomer Mudlark follows up his single earlier this summer with the almighty trouser-blazer "Be A Mudlark". And that's just the tip of this gully iceberg.
Review: Jack it up, jack it in, let us begin... DS2B's Audio Overload deliver their first VA collection and it's an absolute banger-fest. Representing many of the label's exciting new-gen artists, and even more off the label's far-reaching sounds and styles, across the set expect to be KO'd by the sound rampant sounds of Lowlife, anticipate high levels of energy from man like Jedi (especially the reverse mindwarper "Popcorn Playa"), enjoy some feisty VIP action from Midst and plenty more chaos from the likes of Pruf, DEEb and Falco. Jack it on, jacket off - let's get to work.
Review: Nuclear Bass are doing what all music fans love and putting together a fat compilation of artists that all represent a distinct strand of dancefloor-focused drum & bass. Each act has several contributions, an unusual but welcome format, and Jedi's part-roller-part-jungle track 'All I See' is an especially potent addition to the mix. Longtime producer Falco makes a fiery contribution with the choppy yet heavy VIP of 'Beerpong Contest', and L-Motive finishes things off with the growly, wobbly 'Sublime'. Wicked.
