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Friction
Browse the latest digital releases by Friction
Review: Shogun and Elevate captain, D&B headliner and all round don Friction cracks open his second album After Dark and it's a pretty epic situation. Featuring collabs with the likes of Pola & Bryson, K Motionz, Kanine, A Little Sound, Emily Makis, Poppy Baskcomb, SHELLS and Olah Bliss, the album sees Friction in a highly emotional and anthemic state, capturing the back-to-rave energy of the last year post-lockdown. Highlights include the big sing-along moments like 'Sun Comes Up' and 'Falling Down', both mountainous peaks among thunderous late night tear-ups like 'Supersonic' and bouncy, jumpy happy slaps like 'Your Love'. The result is an exemplary synth-blazed, dancefloor-focused body of work.
Played by: BasskicksUK
Played by: Juno Recommends Drum & Bass
Various
Various
Review: It's been 15 years since Shogun Audio burst into life on the South Coast and under the watchful eye of Ed Keeley AKA Friction, as well as K-Tee, it's grown and grown into one of the best labels in the business, without a doubt. From the classics like Perez's seminal 1984, to more recent, futuristic numbers from the likes of Koherent and Document One, the label is truly diverse and that's represented extremely well in this 15 Years Of compilation. Featuring a litany of acts both old and new, including Technimatic, Pola & Bryson and Friction, this one is for the proper fans. Document One's 'Vibration' is a favourite of ours, with a stupidly cool, distorted bassline that packs a tasty hardware edge, undergirded by a click-and-snap drum line. Pure quality right here.
Played by: Mista Jam
Played by: Buck Lee
Various/Cafe Del Mar
Review: Highly anticipated for longer than we care to remember, Friction's debut album was always going to be a full spectrum, widescreen affair. All corners covered with an energy and style we've become accustomed to from his DJ sets, this is the full Friction in more detail than he's ever displayed as a producer; highlights include the slamming choppage and damage of "Ultrafunk" (with Metrik) the slower tempo space rave UKG vibes of "Blue", the near Pendulum levels of euphoria and heaviness on "Running", the squidgy bass and roustabout riff of the appropriately named "Stinker" and the pure emotion and urgency of the album finale "All Nite". This is Friction at his most revealing and far reaching. Make a connection.
Various
Various
Review: When a label as consistent and as well rounded as Shogun Audio announce a 'Classics' release it obviously sends shivers around the drum & bass community. It's hard to imagine condensing thirteen years of dominance into a minimized box of thirty classics, but just looking at the tracklisting is awe-inspiring. We see classic reappearances from the likes of Friction, Spor, Break, Icicle, Rockwell, Spectrasoul, Alix Perez, Camo & Krooked and that's not even half of the names involved. To break it down simply, this compilation summarizes why Shogun hold such a legendary status within the scene, through incredible consistency and magnificent diversity of sound.
Review: The build up to Friction's debut album continues... Following the heavyweight "Mad In The Jungle" this summer, comes second LP single "Running". A heavyweight dancefloor banger that balances between slamming jumpy riffage, spacey peaktime euphoria and surging soulful vocals courtesy of Raphaella, this is Friction at his most playful and peaktime. Bring on the album!
Played by: Brian Brainstorm
Review: If you liked the mighty Friction's Bring It Back from earlier this summer, you'll be thrilled to know that he's already 'brought it back' again. Yes the award-winning artist (aka Ed Keeley) has commissioned a new remix of his tune and is presenting it via his new Elevate Audio sub-label. The imprint aims to promote "straight up, uncompromising, dance floor drum & bass", the kind that might be a bit too real for his own Shogun label. Here Tantrum Desire fit the bill perfectly by conjuring up four and a half minutes of some seriously hyped frantic DnB mayhem!
Played by: Brian Brainstorm
Review: You can do this the easy way or the hard way... Whether you untie your shoelaces or not, your shoes are going through the window the second "Unchained" drops. Signs has officially levelled up. Bringing up the rear are Friction and Karma with a walloping roller where the bassline takes a much more active role in the story than it would in a more typical liquid cut. "Turn To Nothing" is Ed.It at his finest; restrained, barbed and tooled up with a sharp sample. Finally North Base close the show with their most delicate track to date as "Unexplained" shimmers with Technimatic-level pianos. Don't even think about fetching your defenestrated footwear.
Played by: Rich Raw, Sektor, Syncopix, Juno Recommends Drum & Bass, Deadmau5, Fourward, LSN (UK), Wreckless, Northern Zone
Review: 12 years deep, 100 releases strong, Friction's Shogun imprint continues to spread the strong words with what's shaping up to be a very exciting series of exclusives. For the first EP we hit paydirt from the off as Ulterior Motive play the consummate robot charmers on "Radian". Cousins in crime Icicle and Proxima follow with a dagger-sharp tete-a-tete two-stepper while Technimatic provide essential contrast with the rainbow soul "Transference". Finally Alix Perez returns to Shogun for a cheeky minimal twist of Friction and Fourward's "Battle Scars". Gold on gold on gold, Shogun aren't messing around with their 100 series.
Various
Cartoon Feat. JArri Pootsmann - "I Remember U" (feat JArri Pootsmann/Ownglow remix) - (4:06) 174 BPM
Various
Review: Few names command respect on a Mampi level. Even when he promises his new album for over two years, he still retains his crown. Listen to tracks like these and it's easy to understand why; "Back To 92" is a pastiche of the best detuned synths and ugliest breaks of the era, all brought together with today's production muscle. "The Spirits", meanwhile, is plain tear-out banshee business (think Ram Trilogy) The rest of the EP sees Swift remastering three Charge classics for the modern day: his Fresh collaboration "Play Me" still ruffles the finest hairs on your spine while the sci-fi tones and twangs of Friction's "3rd Planet" still sound futuristic. Finally we hit Blame's "Stay Forever". A straight-up string-drenched anthem from one of drum & bass's most interesting creative chapters, it still has total relevance to this day.
