Review: Renowned for their harder take on the D+B genre, Renegade Hardware step up with their newest release which comes from long-term badman Audio and upcoming talent Inside Info, who impressed with his EP on Viper not so long ago. "Fall Back" brings in the lyrical talent of MC Stapleton and pairs the acerbic spoken vocals with razor sharp snares, pounding bass and spaced out SFX. An industrial undertone adds an aggressive edge. Next up, Audio joins forces with Inside Info for a truly menacing number with a Calyx & Teebee circa "Warrior" feel, pumping beats and grizzled synths. Gnarly!
Time Will Tell (feat Tasha Baxter) - (5:04) 175 BPM
Creepy - (2:39) 150 BPM
Spychase - (3:34) 175 BPM
Renegade (feat Jakes) - (4:08) 173 BPM
Num Num (feat Aref Durvesh) - (3:48) 173 BPM
Revolution (feat Miss Trouble) - (5:12) 173 BPM
Lost You - (5:47) 172 BPM
Glimpse (feat Fable) - (5:22) 173 BPM
2 Minds - (4:25) 172 BPM
Mania - (4:18) 172 BPM
82 - (6:13) 172 BPM
Review: FINALLY! We've been waiting years for Paul Bondy to deliver his debut album... And we always knew it was going to be special when it landed. From the moment the elastic space-funk glow of "Navigator" ignites the album, it's a white-knuckle ride through some of the grittiest, funkiest and most intriguing corners of drum & bass such as the dark mosh of "Revenants", the soaring comic soul and thunder-bass counterplay of "Time Will Tell" and the currently unavoidable "Glimpse", the clattering drum WTF-ness of "Mania". As the final 80s sprite funk and wriggles of "82" phase out, it's clear he hasn't let us down. Potential for drum & bass album of the year right here.
Review: Long revered as one of the oddballs of the scene, Inside:Info has repeatedly relished the opportunity to get truly down and dirty with his spliced and diced creations. "Mushroom" though, is something else. Ripped to pieces and stitched back together by the barest vibrophone sample and a chilling sustained synth, it's heavy, then softly-softly and completely mental in equal measure. "The Plains" offers a refreshing look at Paul's incomparable ear for a delicate hook. Softer and sweeter but no less instantly arresting, the sharpness and clarity of his production shines through on the huge drums and wavering bassline. It's so different, which is exactly why you need it.
Metamorphosis (feat Miss Trouble) - (4:24) 174 BPM
Being - (4:36) 174 BPM
Review: Every now and again, InsideInfo opens up the top of his skull and lets the twisted thoughts and images he dreams up flow out into perfect releases like this. Cold, calculated beats take shape around Miss Trouble's android vocals in "Butterfly", as she foretells the beginning of the collapse of civilisation. "Being" is a more intense reaction to the world at large, as harsh neuro sounds build and build to a frenetic crunch between synth and bassline. The king of breathlessly intense, futuristic drum & bass returns.
The Outside Agency - "Asteroid Belt" - (5:01) 175 BPM
Neonlight - "Wormhole" (Entering Part 1) - (4:12) 174 BPM
Neonlight - "Wormhole" (Leaving Part 2) - (3:30) 174 BPM
Review: Let it Roll is the biggest D&B festival in the world and it takes place twice a year out in the Czech Republic, a hedonistic outpost of pure 170bpm madness. It's also known for its no nonsense approach to the opening show and the collection of built-for-purpose, novel tunes are coming out on the festival's label and, long story short, they're wicked. Hybrid Minds and Insideinfo team up for their second release of 2019 and it's a percy, with Grimm on vocals adding the soul and a gritty, sweeping bassline adding the force. There's plenty more force to come on the rest of the EP as well, as Abis, Icicle, Neonlight and Th Outside Agency all contributing ridiculously heavy Neurofunk tunes. Oh yes.
Review: Oh boy... Last time these two roustabouts collided in the studio "Mythos" happened... And became one of the biggest D&B tracks of 2013. Expectations have been set high since both parties teased us earlier this year. And thankfully we've not been let down; "Footpath" (which also features the perennial Kiwis The Upbeats) is a savage roller that sounds like live electricity lashing out of your speakers. "Leibniz" takes us deeper into the neuro badlands with full emphasis on the undulating bassline and strange textured loop. One for the build-up, one for the pay-off... Insideinfo and Mefjus never disappoint.
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: It's that time of year again! The scene's longest-standing platform Drum&BassArena step up with their annual flagship album and once again it's a fitting salute to all corners, all shades and all styles of the rich, wide scene. 60 tracks deep comprising absolute bangers and bliss-outs from the likes of Chase & Status, Noisia & Phace, K-Motionz, Rockwell, DJ Hybrid, GLXY and Seba, it's also home to exclusives from Kyrist, Brookes Brothers, Bou & Simula, Kanina, Kove and A.M.C & Turno. From jungle to jump-up, liquid to dancefloor and complete with three killer mixes for life when you're not practicing your double/triple/quadruple drops, Drum&BassArena continue to celebrate the widest possible scene.
