Review: Shall Not Fade has reached the ripe old age of eight, a cause for celebration in these troubled times for artists and labels. To mark the occasion, the Bristol-based imprint has offered up this vast, 34-track compilation featuring new and unheard cuts from its ever-expanding family of artists. Naturally, it not only reflects Shall Not Fade's output, but also that of its various offshoots and series. So, there's plenty of high-grade deep house and immersive, breakbeat-driven deepness, but also surging, high-tempo rave-era nostalgia (see the tracks by TESTPRESS and Sheffield sorts Adelphi Music Factory), bassline (ABSOLUTE & HRSN), futurist techno (Marc Brauner), deep electro (Halo), hip-hop revivalism (Lydia Eisenbatter), progressive house and trance-influenced loveliness (MNL), and much more besides.
Review: It felt like it was only a matter of time until we saw this one come together, as the super-consistent sounds of Kobe JT finally land on Time Is Now for the 11th edition of their fabulous 'White' series, exploring white label themes with four brand new sizzlers. We open up with 'All I Do', a blast from the past with its colourful organ chords and mellow drum sweeps, closely followed by 'Next DJ', which sees The Phat Controlla join the party for a more niche-inspired look at 4x4 flavour. From here, a more moody combination of sparkling chord pulses, 808 bass drives and haunted synth incursions arrive on 'Lost In The Club', which leads into a tidy finale as 'Hope' combines chilling synthesiser pads with punchy drum rhythms in style. A scrumptious selection indeed!
Review: Steppers Club have been one of the most impressive imprints to really kick start their journey in 2021, with a consistent run of potent releases and colourful branding giving them a real boost forward. This latest two tracker from Kobe JT is another example of that quality on display as we kick off with the chord-laden expanses and sub-busting basslines of 'Klub', giving us a perfect fusion of the old and new. On the flip to this, more refreshing UKG goodness as 'That Girl' again utilizes breathy chord textures and minimal drums, this time incorporating a much more visible layer of vocal sampling into the mix and blend. This whole release screams refreshing and becomes another successful addition to the Steppers Club catalogue, which continues to impress with every new drop.
Review: Strictly Flava are at it again here as they unleash another bag of highly anticipated remixes, this time bringing back a bag of classics from the likes of Kobe JT, Minista, Scott Diaz and Witchdoctor, some of the labels most popular roster members. Firstly we hear GE's fantastic rework of 'Ur Love', a colourful rebuild packed with bouncy drumwork, followed by a super skippy remix of Scott Diaz's 'On High' from Fizzikx. Witchdoctor is next for the chop as Earthnut steps up for first for a lethal rethink of 'From The Inside', followed by KXVU's funky twissup of 'Piranha'. Excellent work as per from the Strictly Flava team.
Review: It appears that Skillzy's now infamous PAR label is at it again, gathering and arranging an absolutely monstrous compilation here, featuring heavyweight riddims from some of the coldest names currently working across the grime and bass sphere. We see exciting returns for label favourites such as Juzlo, Dubzta, Daze Prism, Killjoy and more, who have all previously featured heavily on PAR. This compilation offers something for everyone, from the sharpened, evil grime chops of Garna's 'Peroni', to the UKG prowess and skippy rhythmic bliss of 'Kobe JT's most recent PAR appearance with 'Selecta'.
Review: What a time it is for UKG, with multiple revival movements taking place left right and centre. Due to this awesome influx of new energy, labels such as Strictly Flava have been able to emerge and shine with a string of high quality releases, including this latest edition from Kobe JT and Minista. This one kicks off with the heavenly tones of 'Ur Love', which is packed full of emotive energy, driven by deliciously smooth sub expanses and a plethora of melodic elements. This one also comes with a high profile remix from Brighton's own Movement, who switches the track up into a classic 2-step format, ushering forth grimey LFO movements and sharp drum designs.
Review: As one of the grime and bass scene's standout label projects over the last 5 years, Project Allout have conquered much, constantly alternating between grime, dubstep, bass and garage, all with a real touch of finesse. This latest compilation sees the gang assemble in force as the likes of Sammy Virji, Killjoy, Palize, Deadbeat UK, Daze Prism and more heavyweight names bring their heat to the table. For us the standout tracks have to be Dunman's grimey roller in 'Chip On The Block' and of course Moony's amazonian funky ride out on 'M', a subby mover, designed to take the dance real low.
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