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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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.
