Review: Italian stallion HLZ gets busy on Influence with two absolute stunners for the sunnier months. 'Dusk Till Dawn' sees him linking up with one of the most decorated MCs in the movement Professor Cleveland Watkiss who guides us from sunset to sun-up with his otherworldly harmonies. 'Sakura' meanwhile blooms into life with shimmering chords and a deep housey / jazzy feel. Understated and so dreamy you might have to pinch yourself. Heavily Influential sounds.
Review: Former Need For Mirrors member and crazed drum and bass production maestro HLZ has been striking out alone for a little while now and this tasty little two-track shows how his sound is progressing into the darker world of twisted rollers. "Dying Memories" melts down hot brass sounds that lightens up an otherwise heavyweight dancefloor burner. "Duel" dims things darker again with hard and fast percussion and eerie synths straight from a sci fi nightmare. This is definitely your sort of thing. Definitely.
Review: This little beauty is a reminder of what gorgeous things lie just out of view of the norm. Arp XP has been creating weighty, but magical drum and bass for a good few years now. "Good Old Days" shows just how finessed his already clean and sophisticated sound has become, working perfectly in sync with HLZ to create a modern Med masterpiece. HLZ's solo effort "Gaia" punches in some dark minimalism lightened by passing ripples of melody, later ripping apart the peace with a terrorising bassline. ArpXP returns for "Makes Me Wonder" with Brazilian player Nitri, who's forsaken the bongos for real, own-to-earth Metalheadz old-school. We like. We like a lot.
Review: HLZ is one of the most consistent purveyors of rolling damage around, and in the last few years has unleashed a stunning series of EPs on scene-leader Metalheadz. The Italian-born producer is back with Amethyst, another drum-focused, gritty piece of music that relies on the barebone essentialls to do the talking. There are diamonds among the rough and 'Amethyst' exemplifies his sonic approach perfectly; its whispering waves of synthy leads build and rise, breaking on the drop into a skipping, bouncy arrangement that's as infectious as it is creative. There's junglist mayhem on 'Break The Rules', and 'Polar Dreams' ties up the EP perfectly, with clattering drums and pummeling walls of low frequency energy. Unstoppable.
Review: HLZ is one of the slew of producers who have recently been popping up on Headz and releasing amazing music, the likes of Grey Code, Phaction and others. This isn't HLZ's first rodeo however as he first released on the label about five years ago, a pedigree which shines through in the detailed, physical approach he takes to his music. Eternal follows Luther on Dispatch earlier this year and it's as good, if not better, a trend that's set from the start by the title tune. A haunting vocal sample overlays jungle breaks on the intro, but just when you think it's going to be jungle, an amazing pacey main rolling percussive line comes through and blows you away. Proper HLZ, proper Heads.
Review: Bringing their Zoltar sound back to Horizons alongside ex-partner in crime HLZ for this particularly dark slice of D&B, NFM continue to step up. Starting as they mean to go on, "Rotor" is a cold techy stepper that pushes minimal to breaking point with humming basic bass and the whirr of a lonely hi-hat. "Pantheon" plays far more to the dancefloor, with a heavy stomping beat and addictive-as-hell bassline. "Actress" is a deep and raging old-school roller that plunges through creepy atmospherics and final track "Broadwalk" is the payoff for all the upfront skanking crew junkies who will forever lust after a classic NFM bassline. Don't worry - it's all here for you. Take a hit.
Review: Almost two decades deep into their legacy, DJ Trace's DSCi4 imprint continues to push science right on the razor's edge. The Spy Technologies compilations have always been something of a flagship release for the label and this pandemic special is no exception. Across 14 tracks we're treated to a future shock of dynamic proportions courtesy of a great range of talents from established to brand new and anonymous. Highlights include the springy, tense 'Microbs' from HLZ, the pneumatic drums and high impact wallops of Soul Intent's 'Foundation', Dynamix's relentless, industrial strength 'Murderation' and the epic finale track from the man DJ Trace himself and Emery - 'Curfew'. Lights out.
Review: Joining dots between two sounds that came from the same mindset and very similar streets and cultural context, Influence Records have curated something incredibly special here with 'Diaries From Detroit'; a VA collection boasting some of the most talented names across the D&B generations from Seba to Conrad Subs. All exploring those cold futuristic aesthetics that both jungle and Detroit techno share, highlights can be found at every twist and turn but you'd be crazy not to check the likes of subtleties and immense subs of A Audio's 'Mercury', the ice cold grumbles of Lynx's 'De-Tro' and the shimmering dub techno influences on L-Side's powerful 'Point Of View'. What a collection.
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