Review: Brighton bass evangelists 877 have the likes of GoldFFinch and My Nu Leng amongst their roster and can now boast the addition of the hotly tipped Distro too. Featuring the moody garage-flecked "Pinnacle" and the deep, wobble-heavy 4x4 of the title track, Flava D also remixes the latter into end-of-the-world speed garage. However, it's the thrilling collision of Bristolian heroes Distro and My Nu Leng on the big-beat-meets-disco-in-bass-town shenanigans of "Sleepless" that's getting the real hype from the likes of B Traits and Monki right now. On fire!
Review: Fledgling bass label LNUK return with another heavy-hitting missive from rising duo My Nu Leng. "Damp" kicks things off with a dark, swung take on UK funky styles, as tumbling snare rolls combine with woodblock percussion and deep bass subs, while "Waltaknocks" is similarly intricate cut guaranteed to build dancefloor pressure with its angular rhythms and dark chords. Remix duties fall to Last Japan, who increases the pace on "Damp" with his combination of techno stabs and D&B like percussion.
Review: My Nu Leng are the guys right now, it doesn't matter what bass genre you reside in, everyone respects them. Since the rumours of the release started circulating it's has been something the dnb family have been looking forward to, and as the tracks started to surface there have been rumblings on the forums that this is one of Shogun's best releases for some time, we'll let you judge that for yourselves. 'The Terrace' see the lads join forces with the hugely talented SpectraSoul and the result is unsurprisingly a tough and techy, half time work of art. Partnering with label boss Friction sees a more dancefloor led direction with a thundering mutated sub at the helm, surrounded by crashing drums and catchy vocal. The lead track 'Portal' is a hard hitting and a complete smasher, with killer drones and well-crafted drum patterns, it's a big one. But our favourite track of the EP has to be 'Senses' for a start Iyamah's voice is stunning, but secondly it's just a perfect balance of soft, melodic blissfulness and hard, aggressive grit.
Review: As one of the leading forces in bass music in the UK, it's always a monumental moment to hear that My Nu Leng have put together a new release. This project sees them take a seat on their own 'Maraki' imprint, showcasing their multigenre influences perfectly. The title track 'Junctions' is a perfect example of this, bringing together pounding UK bass themes with crunchy breakbeat additions, perfect for adding a bit of flavour to any dance. To follow this 'Super 8' kicks back with a bag of moogy bass energy, before Takura and Holy Goof join the party for some tearout antics on 'Gully'. Finally, we hear Madi Lane join forces with the Bristol based duo on 'Turn Around', a breaksy roller, packed with spacey emotional energy and smooth harmonies, rounding off this EP with a touch of class.
Review: As a label project, Maraki have gone from strength to strength over the last year or so, bringing together some top draw release projects from some of the most powerful artists working in and around the bass scene. Here we seem them introduce the legendary DJQ to the label, with his long awaited recreation of 'Senses' alongside the wavy vocal presence of Iyamah'. DJQ sends this one to the bassline chopper in typical style, pushing of lively synth leads and crispy drum arrangements, allowing Iyamah's vocal to shine. He makes a very welcome addition to the Maraki roster.
Review: From seminal YouTube damage to worldwide events and all sorts more, UKF continues to spin its own distinctive low-end yarn. Having made its presence known beyond the dubstep and drum & bass worlds in the last year or so, Bass Culture 3 acts as a pivotal release and shows the channel is far from genre-specific. Amidst the massive bangers that the brand is known for - TC - "Get Down Low", Must Die & Mantis - "Culture", Mob Tactics - "The Answer" - there are plenty of other corners explored, too. From the 808 allure of Buku's "No One Does" to the angular jacking of Three Bar's "Everybody" via My Nu Leng's unavoidable "Masterplan", this album represents some of the most exciting examples of bass behaviour in all styles of electronic music.
Review: Well well well, we have to say we heard tell of a mega compilation that was set to be emerging out of the bass scene in the near future, but nobody could have predicted it to be this powerful as Holy Goof unveils his Globes compilation, championing all aspects of 4x4 bass music to the maximum. We see A-list appearances from top to bottom with Notion, Chris Lorenzo, Fine Art, Skepsis, FooR, Bushbaby and more all gracing the listing with top draw originals. For us the immediate standouts on this one have to include the emotional expanse of Freddie Martin's 'Stubborn', which comes complete with cracking original vocals, along with the rapid fire LFO shells of Livsey's 'Supersonic' and the big room synths of Skue-K's 'Flows'.
