Review: Since resurrecting System Shock, Callide has been on a one-man mission to raise the profile of his own favoured brand of soul-shaking deadliness. On this little beauty of a remix EP though, he's no longer a man on a lone mission, as plenty of the scene's hardest hitters have been placed on point to lend a hand. Remixes like DJ Hybrid's old school take on "Inferno" and Dominator's epic rolling intro for "A Way To Get The Answer" have given a new lease of life to these dancefloor-destroying slices of pure energy, as well as show off the diversity and creativity that still lives within the heart of our darkest, most club-focused sub-genres. A must for any fan of the harder stuff.
Review: Random Concept calling an EP "Floor Fillers" is like Mr Kipling naming his new range of cakes as 'tasty'... We can't think of a release on the label that hasn't filled the floor! Stating the obvious is just one of the label's strengths, they can also put together a serious all star cast, as proved right here: Jayline's "Tommy Knocker" flexes with a vocal power that's reminiscent of DJ SS and Warren G's work together, Filthy Habits continue to dominate with a powerful jump-up ripper while Saxxon does a really trippy trick as a jazzy riff comes out of a radio tuning sample before leaping into a demonstratively dark bass riff. Elsewhere we find bong-busting Blackley doing the funky triplet thing on "Botanical", Modified Motion add a little bounce to the collection with a blend that's highly reminiscent of Moving Fusion back in the day while RV and Garry K close the show with an eerie stepper, all stretched out hollow bass and cheek-splintering snares.
Review: Modified Motion (of Modified Motion & Faction fame, as if you didn't know) looks back over his old alias Zodiac and buffs up the badness for their first ever digital releases. Still packing more punches than a teenage riot, some of these tracks are a good decade old but still rattles and smack harder than a lot of modern jump up; the ominous drone of "Blood Clart", the sinful volcanic dog bark blasts of the still-massive "1200 Miles", the creepy intro and bulldozer drop of "The Game", the list goes on. Check your star signs right now, we guarantee the forecast will be gully.
Review: While it awaited a formal release, "It's Spelled PIMP" has been patiently wrecking homes, clubs and soundsystems wherever it was spun. A bonafide riot of drum and bass influences, it plunges from restrained beauty to ferocious hardcore to jump up madness and back again throughout, leaving absolutely no time for non-essential things like breathing. It's a breeding ground for flailing arms and twisting bodies and if your local dancefloor isn't having this dropped already, you're in for a treat when it finally wrecks up your neighbourhood. Buy it now and call it a pre-emptive strike.
Review: Harder, heavier and more unforgiving than a no deal Brexit, Modified Motion & Faction continue their unique assault on the dance with two gut-punchingly savage riff busters. "It Fades" barks with mid 2000s Playaz style ruffage but bites with a Sub Focus-esque dancefloor drive in the drums and synth elements. "Tech Mech" continues the heavyweight dancefloor hybrid but with added uplifting twists in the melodic tale. No one's fusing the styles like these guys right now. Deal or no deal?
Review: Sometimes it pays to be a label boss, like for example here, on this latest Bomb Strikes comp where head honcho Mooqee has decided to hand himself the reigns. Manning the decks for nearly an hour, he whips up a frenzy of party breaks delirium over the course of 24 tracks. The tracks are supplied individually too, with highlights including the tropical trap-house of "Ladies Look Pretty" by Basement Freaks, the furious electro-bass mash-up "Get Got (VIP mix)" by Nick Thayer & A Skillz and the strompingly retro electro-funk of "How We Do This" by Tom Booze.
Review: Two things of the strongest things that can pull you back down to earth: Gravity or a selection curated Macky Gee. This is both; "Gravity" is Macky's label's first various artist collection and it really is a K.O of a leveller. Spaow gets spiky on the riff and 2001 Space Odyssey on the synths, Rowney & Propz remind us that life can be both screwface and bouncy, Modified Motion & Faction get a little playful with the rave breakbeats and Complex whips up the hardest clanking sounds heard this side of your local steel foundry. Dextone closes the show the string-fired drama that is "Riot". Serious D&B right here, bring on the second volume!
Review: Wild West Recordings always try their best to replicate the no-holds-barred, anarchic nature of life on the 19th century, American frontier and they do so via the aggressive tones of modern D&B. This is a best-of compilation of tracks that have come out through the label and it puts that ethos on good display, featuring some seriously weighty acts like Nu:Elementz and Ironlung. The former's contribution is especially potent, a gargling display of production intensity and a lesson to all budding artists out there in how to create a knockout jump-up track, its biting bass stabs teaching you all you need to know. Ironlung's tune - 'Dreaming' - is equally as naughty but it rests on a much more potent set of drum hits, giving it an extra oomph that you can certainly hear. The others are just as good - check 'em.
Review: Always on the lookout for fresh new talent, Futurebound has gathered up a motley crew of incredible newcomers for this, the sixth installment of Viper's Headroom EP series. Featuring five tech-heavy bangers, it's a launchpad for these producers's careers so you can expect it to be a bit good. The likes of Brookes Brothers, Camo & Crooked, Delta Heavy and Prolix all make an appearance in previous incarnations of the series. And just look at them now. Featured on this EP are UK producers Raw Theory, Seismix and Modifed Motion, Australia's Ekko & Sidetrack and Gran Calavera, France's Bluescreens and America's Faction. Get ready to see the future of drum and bass.
Review: Most three-year celebrations involve cake, pass the parcel, tantrums and, inevitably, sick. Mercifully at WWR we only have the sick to mop up. And we mean sick with a capital bruh... Highlights from their short but tonked discography hit from every direction with the likes of Supreme Being getting operatically epic on his remix of "Dysphixia" and raffishly mechanical on "Show Down", Blackmarket and Voltage paying homage to one of the greatest trilogies ever filmed, Kenji taking us beyond the clouds on his sticky icky sub-laden "Pot Smoker". And that's just the tip of a very large iceberg.
Review: Bringing people together through the power of good drum and bass isn't alien to these guys - Gun Audio run City Flow Festival back home in Antwerp, offering one of the biggest platforms for hard hitting jump-up sounds in Western Europe. Their Reload EP series has so far seen the rise of too many new artists to count and it's these massive compilations that the people want to hear. They bring City Flow together and they show off what's yet to come for the next year. Soul Intent, T>I and Supreme Being all make appearances, but it's the surprising new upstarts you want to listen out for. Expect very big things.
