Review: Armada Music continues to celebrate its 20th birthday with a series of suitably upbeat compilations. This one focuses on house music, offering up a swathe of genuinely seminal club cuts, crossover hits and feel-good festival anthems. It's a peak-time party starter pack that pits genuine old school anthems (Joe Smooth's 'Promised Land', Inner City's 'Good Life', Reese's 'Just Another Chance', the chunky extended dub of Chez Damier's 'Can You Feel It'), mid-90s Euro-house (Rene Et Gaston's luscious 'Valle de Larmes'), hands-aloft early 2000s gospel house (Praise Cats righteous 'Shined On Me', speed garage (Sol Brothers' 'Turn Me Out'), thumping filter-house (Phats and Small's once ubiquitous 'Turn Around' and Funk Deluxe's infamous Bob Marley remix), spicy Latin house (Afro Medusa) and a dash of piano-powered Detroit house (MK in his early '90s, pre-garage pomp).
Review: Armada Music 20 Years Classics pays homage to dance music's rich history and aims to educate a new generation of fans about the artists who shaped the genre. There's classics galore on this one as you'd expect, with several bangers by label chief Armin Van Burren, in addition to seminal anthems such as Joe Smooth's "Promised Land", Inner City's "Good Life" (remastered), Chez Damier's "Can You Feel It" (New York extended dub) and Olav Basoski's "Waterman" (extended mix), as well as appearances by newer artists like ANOTR, Patrick Topping and Jan Blomquist.
Review: When a sound or style has been around for over two decades, there are two things a young producer can do with it: they can add their own twist, taking the sound in new directions, or they can stick faithfully to the original blueprint, proving they have the chops to compete with their first-generation forebears. This collection from Strictly House And Garage features 13 brand new speed garage and two-step cuts from as many artists, pretty much all of whom have chosen the latter route - it's been 20 years since this writer held down a UK garage residency, but when I heard this album it felt like five minutes ago! Excellent work all round.
Review: The team over at Strictly House & Garage have been keeping our stomachs lined with incredible new UKG since their label inception last year, with this latest drop from the legendary Moony being another tasty snack for us to feast upon. Kicking off the four track listing we have 'Ice Cream', a techy combination of metallic synthesizer plucks and stripped back drum slaps, followed by the big room 4x4 designs of 'Obsession', which packs one hell of a punch. From here we glide into the catchy vocal manipulations of the title track 'Burning Fire', which in typical Moony fashion combines niche and notalgia in ultimate majesty. Finally, the pace increases dramatically in 'It Is', speedy sizzler, providing us with the perfect round off.
Review: Following on from an extremely solid run of releases as the head of Project Allout, Skillzy unleashes a fantastic new selection under his new imprint 'Strictly House and Garage'. The line up is star-studded to say the least, welcoming UKG veterans such as Moony and Joedan leading the way, alongside heavyweight newcomers such as the extremely vibrant sounds of Weagle. There are a couple of serious stand outs on this one, with 'Don't Let Me Down' from Daze Prism providing a smooth 2-steppy box of delights, alongside YesEd's super high energy 'Steppin'. Lovely stuff
Review: The Southpoint unit have had yet another sparkling year, with their sound constantly evolving at the forefront of UK bass music's ever expanding boundaries and parameters. This year they have taken it to the next level, with the seventh edition of their 'Southpoint Presents' series launching across all platforms, including bangers from the likes of KXVU, Jakebob, Bushbaby, Muttley, Moony, Mofaux, Dunman, Drax, Movement, Tengu and more. We also see Presents debuts for the likes of MPH, On1, Negativ and Daffy, arguably rendering their strongest compilation in the series.
Review: Over the years, there are genuinely very few labels that have been able to amass as impressive a catalogue as Project Allout, a label that continue to unleash bass and grime music at the highest level as me move into 2020. This latest compilation release takes the title 'Keep It PAR, Volume 2', and is a terrific showcase of the different styles on offer within the imprint, including music from PAR allstars such as Dubzta, Moony, Dutty Tingz, Daze Prism, JT, Killjoy, Palize and more. For us, there are two clear highlights, with the super groovy twists of 'Baby Boy' from Venz being the first, followed by the smooth garage flavours of 'I Dont Know' from Lushen.
Review: It's been a short while since we last heard from the Brightonian UKG heavyweight, but what a joy it is to see Moony return to Project Allout for yet another scorcher of an EP. We kick off this one with a more unusual creation from Moony as the title track 'Stress' combines soulful vocal slices, glittering arpeggios and potent subs simmering below over a half time drum structure. This is accompanied by two fantastic remixes as Killjoy firstly gives the original a 4x4 makeover, followed by Creep N00M's choppy grime-style refix. We are also blessed the incredibly colourful soundscaping of 'Broke Comp' which rounds everything up in serious style.
Review: Project Allout are well known within both the grime and bass scenes for their outstanding compilation work, including their highly respected 'Krampus' series, which here enters its third season. We see a line up absolutely bristling with power as PAR regulars such as Deadbeat UK, Juzlo, Mr Dubz, JG, Dubzta and more all return with some seriously weighty contributions, along with newer faces such as Smodi, Rollsie and more. For us, the highlights include LJ & G1's super skippy 'Bullseye' original, alongside Sir Pixalot's corking melodic composition named 'Transparency'.
Review: When we look back over both the roster and discography that we have seen the team at PAR assemble over the years, it is very difficult to not be incredibly impressed, with back catalogue boasting arguably one of the strongest selections in UK bass music. We here see them set out on another goliath conquest as they present their ninth birthday release 'PAR IS 9'. This project features a host of exciting guests, from heavyweight veterans such as Garna, DeadbeatUK and Moony, to more new school hard hitters such as S3 Dubs, Daze Prism and more. Highlights for us include Dubzta's grimey sheller 'Side Effect' and the madness of Sekt 87's skippy belter in 'Surge & Rush'.
Review: The re-emergence of UKG continues to gain momentum as we bare witness to yet another fantastic selection here, this time arranged by Rare Supply and bearing the title 'Supply Drop, Vol. 1'. We kick off with a smooth and soulful collaboration between Higgo and Kyst Cortez entitled 'Same Way', followed by some super melodic explorations from man of the moment: Sammy Virji in 'Promise Me'. Next, we hear cracking originals from Dr. Oscillator with his wobbly roller 'Amnesia', Joedan with his nostalgic creation in 'That's Hot' and the return of the ever dependable Moony with the funky inspired rhythmic switches on 'Attica'. After that we see another fantastic return as Daze Prism unleashes his super groovy original 'Check', before Man Of Steel rounds up a phenomenal collection with the pleasing chord progressions and a jiggy drumwork of 'Crazy'.
Review: It's been a little while since we saw a release from the Brighton based giants at Southpoint, with their last full project coming at the beginning of December. They kick off the year in serious style here however as they deploy their fourth artist presents series, with local garage and funky gurus Moony & Movement at the header. We see debuts for Gru Var, Earthnut, Doctor Nick, Witchdoctor, Ali McK, IYZ and Lavz, with a string of regular Southpoint dons returning, including Eclypse, Hamdi and co-founder: KXVU. For us, the first stand out highlights on this release come from bassline wizard Pavv, who strips back his skippy groves for a UKG twist up in 'Dreams'. Out other stand out comes from recent addition to the team: RVB, who's 'Winter Carnival' original is bristling with spicy funky flavour.
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: 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.
Review: It's that time again, as the infamous PAR imprint returns for their yearly Christmas compilation, showcasing their extensively versatile roster and variety of musical styles. This year is a collection of returns and debuts, as we see Killjoy, Deadbeat, Dr Cryptic, KXVU, Moony, Jakebob amongst others all make solid return appearances. Some of our favorites include the haunting sounds of Dallen's grimey roller 'Time', the catchy 4x4 riffs and rhythms of Kind Hydra's 'Bass Trap' and skippy arrangement and aggressive synth design on 'Trigga' from the elusive Rotti. There aren't many labels that can boast such an extensive yet versatile roster and yet remain so assured in as many different areas of UK bass music.
Review: BOOM! It was about time that good ol' Moony stepped onto the Southpoint catalogue with some puristic UK bass for floor-cleansing. The talented young maestro drops the wavey garage drums of "Bullion" for starters, which is followed-up by a main course featuring the deliciously broken beats of "Mutton" and the soulful half-steps of "Be Your Only". These are only our favourites from the menu but, to be honest, this is without a doubt THE garage EP of the week for us here at Juno. Drop any one of these badboys in the dance and then see what happens...
Review: If this isn't already in your collection you don't know how lucky you are... Given away two years ago for a limited amount of time, this bass-meets-grime collection was a blink-and-miss affair. Until now... Back all it's 21 track glory, it's ablaze with fusion fire from Creep N00m & Ronin's itchy-trigger finger banger "Kill", Pelikann's 4x4 Dizzee-twisted widow maker "Stand Up Tall" and Mr Dubz's planet-bouncing "Spaceman". And that's not even touching the sides. Serious heat that's still sounding future two years later; don't miss this one again.
Review: Top talent spotters in the Bass game; Project Allout are back with a new squad of bass-making talent, as well as whole host of established names that project helped to launch to the outer stratospheres in recent years. It's the third edition of their legendary Lengerz series packed with 39 tracks straight from the legion of Lengdom and as we've come to expect from the Steel City boys, they're covering the full gully side of the 125 to 140bpm spectrum; from the eski angst of Arkham's "Jacotanu" the tripped out video game Trap of Creep N00m's "419" to the Pulse X style 808 bass tones of Dubzta's "Energy".... there is even a bit of donk in there via Casement's Young Team. Put it this way, if you are a fan of basslines that make your face look like you're chewing lemons then there is something in hear for you!
Highlights here at Juno HQ include the skaggy chirps on Dead Beat UK's "Baghead VIP", Livsey's TC inspired "Tap Ho" and newcomer Cole slowing the pace but not the intensity with the earth shattering "Mud".
There's a reason why these compilations hang around the top of our charts for years on end, it's because they are jam packed with silly amounts of exclusive A-sides. You don't need to be an Oxbridge educated economist to realise that few labels in the game can boast bang per buck like this!
Review: Much like squashing a fly with a sledgehammer, Sheffield's Project Allout, counter Bristol's bass supremacy with this mammoth compilation. Yes, the second instalment in their eponymous series boasts a frankly absurd 39 new fresh bass cuts. It may take a while to get through it all, but that's half the fun. Inititial highlights include the speedy claps, fizzy hats and taut wobble vibes of "Manners" by 1Thirty, the horror move trap thrills of "Black Missile" by "Familiar Face" and the voluptuous house bass of Mooney's "At The Top".
Review: It's been a year since Slime's second instalment of their leading compilation Future Sound Of Garage series. Now the follow-up has finally arrived boasting 28 examples of what they to be consider music of the future. There are too many to name, but highlights include the ethereal and sensual future-step opener "Return" by Monoblue, the seductive, delicate chimes of the shimmering "Ever Feel" by Just Breathe, the sparse and raw 2-step of Pavv's "Let It Go" and even the uber commercial Ibiza-friendly anthem "Stone" by Project X is a (guilty) pleasure.
Review: Sheffield's Project Allout don't mess about, having developed a reputation for championing all directions in the ways of bass. Every take on that three letter word is important to this label and that's why they cram so many hot jams onto their comps. Basically they're the Ferrero Rocher am-bass-adors and they are really spoiling us with 49(!) lengerz. Highlights include AT's bleepy 8-bit hip-hop groove "Flash Bang", the epic, symphonic trap of Dubzta's "Lord Of War" and the almost disco tech grooves of "Murkers' by King Hydra. All killer, no filler!
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