Review: Good 4 Nothing bossman undergoes the knife of his own label mates as Premium and Certified both put their own stamp on two of his big dancefloor 2016 slapdowns. The former maintains the same up-and-down riff dynamic but with much more distorted atonality in the riff while the latter adds a whole new engine of bass texture on "Bad Bitches". Both paying total respect to the originals while taking them to brave new places, this is a perfect snapshot of where Good 4 Nothing is at right now.
Review: With this release, Walking Dead Recordings have decided to represent the younger generation of jump-up producers, the hungry kids that are pushing the limits of how nuts jump-up can get before we all suffer immediate cardiac arrest. Label boss Eazy's contribution has that deeply satisfying, grating feeling to it that's reminiscent of a Bou tune, that feeling of frequencies just being pushed to their absolute limit. This is a common factor across the other three as well, in particular Premium's cut which, with glitching complexity, fills that gnarly niche of Belgian jump-up badness. Big EP.
Review: Premium by name... Absolute savage on the dials by nature! Englishman in Belgium Premium unleashed his inner junglist with these two hairy hurters. "Chewbacca" growls and purrs just as its name suggests. Driven by breaks but powered by a jump-up heaviness, it's the perfect sweet spot of a lot of sounds and subgenres here. "The Master" continues this grizzly theme but with more of a classic jump-up twist. One note basslines hitting with Warhead-like severity and cheeky break splashes on the fills, it's a heads-down workout that hits home in every mix situation you can blend it into. Masterful.
Review: Premium by name, premium by nature; the young UK artist currently based in Belgium makes his debut on Subway Soundz with this high impact weapon that taps back into the classic sing-along riff days before the noises went full gutter. Energetic, addictive and cuts through in the mix with such precision it blows wigs off in a 20 mile radius, this is a massive tune that guarantees chaos. Exert yourself!
Review: Walking Dead Recordings is another of those very consistent and prolific jump-up labels that just generally tends to release some of the naughtiest cuts from that side of the scene around. Premium is on the imprint this time and Take Care features murky tones on both cuts, each of them dripping with the type of energy that's made jump-up so popular at the moment. Our favourite is probably 'Take Care', a gargling tune that squelches its way around the range, undercut by a skippy but forceful percussive line. The flip is also a highlight, a forceful but creative drum section underpinning a wavey amalgamation of bass force. More good work from these guys.
Review: Bio mainstay DJ Premium doesn't do EPs by halves; no pussyfooting around with slim-line one or two trackers... He always licks up a feast. Case in point: "Sour Diesel" a collection of peaktime jump-up slammers that buzz with off-the-wall sonics and brute force. From the classic rave feels of "Keep On" to the grizzly gutter-sounds of "The Gallows" and "Soul Diesel" to the hardcore-meets-Prototypes style laser bending of "Jump Up". Just like its sticky namesake this "Sour Diesel" is actually super sweet.
Review: Straight outta Basildon comes more drum and bass steppin' with attitude courtesy of Shiftin' Beatz. Title track "Bareback" is all darkside low end therapy complete with spooky sci-fi breakdowns. "Big Mouth" is on the more experimental tip and explores interesting half-time signatures reminiscent of dBridge's Autonomic period. Next up "Rewind" is sure to live up to its title; a true roller complete with evil metallic strikes; or are they demonic voices? Finally "The Game" is straight up peak time tech-step, reminiscent of hometown legends Moving Fusion.
Review: Remix time: Bulletproof don their protective clothing for two killer versions of two recent tried and tested bangers. First up Tsuki's "Street Wars" continues to develop a life of its own. As the dust settles from the recent VIP, Premium adds a whole new layer of thugged out prang-flavoured bass. K Motionz follows with an equally suited, booted and space-funked twist on Bulletproof's second ever release - Kanine's barking mad "9 Lives". With more to follow, it feels like Bulletproof are only just getting started.
Review: Serial collaborators: Ginger ninja Premium and Octave co-bossman Profile collide once again for two more straight-up, no-nonsense rumblers. "Killer" lives up to its name with its gruff, sandpaper bass and immense snare thwack that hits harder than any kicks possibly could. "Do It Right" takes us deeper into their combined nightmares with iced out synths and a drop into a higher-pitched detuned bassline, loose funky shakers and amen fills so crafty they'll sweep your shockproof Casio. Authentic.
Review: Biological Beats are turning fifteen years old and, like any good anniversary, it's being celebrated with a proper knees-up, hands-in-the-air type compilation of jump-up heavy hitters from a slew of wicked artists. This is that celebration and DJ Limited, Puppetz and more are in the place, whilst Enta and more make a feature as well. Enta turns up the heat with a screamer with 'Ear Dis', Puppetz takes things heavy on 'Reborn' and Traumatize drags proceedings into a bouncier place with his stormin VIP of 'Joker'. All round, an excellent showing from the crew and an excellent example of how to pull off a big compilation.
Review: The Gun Audio label have been killing it with each and every release since it opened for business at the beginning of 2013, but for those who haven't yet had a chance to experience their cutting edge take on D&B, this second label compilation is essential business. From the sci-fi synths of Mackie Gee's "Transmission" through the punishing rhythms of Jaydan's "Acid High" and Benns' "Disconnected" to the more classic sounds of Bladerunner's "Hot Steppa", there really is something for every discerning D&B fan here to chew on!
