Review: This release is dark, minimal and stripped back. It lands with a technoid energy that's robotic in its approach but gets to heart of the human experience, and it's courtesy of a slew of up and coming producers. It's a strong release from Sub:Edit, and the standout track is 'Hyperfuse' from Nuvaman, who has crafted a bouncing, infectious drum line that's paired with a soulful sample and juxtaposed with devilishly metallic synth nodes, a fearsome partnership that sees this track move with a particularly clear sense of purpose. Posk rolls things out on 'Money', Drytek blends furious drum work with a superb use of space and bubbling synth work. Sick EP.
Review: DLR's Sofa Sound label has become a pillar of the scene in barely a handful of years, and this week they're following up their previously successful Sofa King Sick compilation with a second edition, this one equally packed to the rafters with both new and old school talent. It's a tour-de-force of the tough side of the genre and it's exemplified by 'Baja', courtesy of Scepticz, a Belgian producer who knows his way around the controls and who proves it once more, as jagged synth lines cut across its snapping, two-step arrangement with all the force and subtlety of an underground train. Kodin makes an appearance on the superbly gruff 'Chronic', whilst The Sauce get deeper than usual on 'Ultrasonic'. Quintessential drum & bass that makes for essential listening.
Review: Everyone likes a good compilation, right? What's better than having as big a range of artists as possible in one condensed place? It's essentially an album with the ease of listening of a single, so we're all for it. Weapons of Choice have come out with the first edition of The Wild Bunch and it's packed full of bangers, one of those albums which doesn't try to be cool or sophisticated by chucking in a few fillers for the sake of diversity - it's just hard stuff here, with a couple of exceptions llike Viewer's liquid number 'Way to Express'. It works great, with Meladee's 'Weed & Walgreens' the highlight, its driving, bubbling basses intermingling with a fresh sense of movement.
Review: Nuvaman has come out with two proper rollers here. 'Signals' is floaty and atmospheric in its introduction and it rolls over nicely into the main body of the tune, with wobbling sub basses and skippy drum lines doing all the work, and what good work it is. 'Future 95' sees a return of the rave piano but it's not being used in the traditional sense, instead leading you in to a huge foghorn that reverberates around the entire range, seemingly getting bigger each time. Nuvaman has pulled out the stops on this one and constructed a single that isn't really worth missing, so don't.
Review: Getting you to more places than the Docklands Light Railway ever could, DLR takes his Sofa around the world and stops off at the homes and studios of some of the most exciting new generation artists. Every direction you check its severe roller situation as each participant step up with their finest. Highlights include the outlandish grizzles of Submarine & Scepticz's "Shingoki", the hair raising wriggles and flabby funk on Ill Truth on "Catch A Break", the infectious steppy late 90s buzzes of bossman DLR and Script's "El Mosquito" and the lush jazzy flurries of Trex's "Falling Down"... but that's just scratching the surface, the whole Sofa king thing is immense.
Review: It's a new year, and it's time for some new imprints. That's the way we operate. Jelly Bean Farm is among the labels to launch in 2017 but, while others would think of pacing themselves with a debut EP, these guys have gone and dropped a whole compilation of new, unforgiving bass science from all corners of the extended genre. There are twelve killer cuts to choose from here, all from emergent talents, and we've got our eyes set on a number of them. Hypho's "Majikk" is a glorious neo-grime workout that stretches the genre to the very limits, "Pistol Signal" from Opus is a bubbling, potent new strain of hydro-phonic dubstep, PAN:INC's "Freight" is the sort of techno that any bass-boy dreams at night, and Sensei's "Reed" manages to blur the most daring elements of jungle and minimal techno together as if they were made to be one and one. Check it all out, though, this is a true goldmine of all things bass-oriented. Watch out for more Jelly Bean Farm gear.
Review: Sitting pretty in the triptych heat of halftime, jungle and bass, Nuvaman continues his fractured sermons on Artifice. Instant neck-snappery abounds on "Strength" as amens rifle back/forth/inside/out over dense pads. "Bada" is a more restrained piece of pensive drones and tones while "Throttle" gets up to speed with stark bass and a spacious two-step swing. Finally "Mutu" takes us back to bed with the trippiest low-end designs of the EP. Welcome to the future.
Review: Future-focussed Bristol-based crew Prjkt come correct with their debut release: a mission statement with shots fired from all international project constituents. It's a broad, bold affair that ranges from iced-out beatless ambience (Barla & Pope's "Icebar") to classic electro (Arma's "Power Glove") by way of broken robot juke madness (C92's "Boddinstrasse"), cosmic beat freakery (Farsight's "Verdant Damage") and bounce loopy techno (Lobby's "Clapdance VIP"). And that's before we address the clattering, uncompromising house of Lorenzo BITW, the alien FX weirdness of Shiek and the breezy breaks of These Evil Streets. A really accomplished and exciting label launch... Keep your peepers locked on Prjkt.
Review: Young and heady bass label GRNDWRK welcomes debutant Nuvaman to the game, and the fledgling producer puts in a fine solo performance on his first official release. "Eastside" is a proper scorcher thanks to its low-swing beat and subtle waves of jungle breaks, while "Cardiac Arrest" is more of a UK hardcore hybrid thanks to its growling bassline. "Sense" is a face-melting wobble bullet boasting a twisted arrangement, and the tune is remixed and broken down by Denham Audio into a pseudo house cut...with the original's wonky beat architecture, of course.
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