Review: Northern banger brigade GTA are marking a big old decade in the game with this walloping collection of beats across the spectrum. Delivered in 10s over five different themes from classics to remixes to floor-scorchers, the end result is an excitingly varied and feisty 50-strong spread of drum & bass perspectives where vibes range from Conrad Subs' utterly gully jungle vibes on his remix of Sl8r's 'Facking Jungle M8' to the thundering dancefloor wallops of Cliques' remix of the label bosses 'Pico De Gallo'. No strong is left unturned throughout the collection as we're just as like to be refreshed by liquid (Pyxis & Maykor's 'Guardian Angel') as we are flattened by venomous, laser-kissed neuro blasts (ICU's remix of 'Rip The Roof Off') Crash bang wallop what an album.
Review: Oh gosh! Every Welcome To The Jungle collection is a big deal but this latest edition from Euphonique and Dazee is a whole other rain forest. 96 tracks and a mix that weighs in over two hours, this is the sound of two of the most foremost and inspiring Bristol-based DJs going IN in every single direction. Loaded with a great range of classics, exclusives and left-of-centre vibes, highlights across this massive collection include Aries and Euphonique's massive 'Amen', Dazee & Jinx's 'Shake It Up', Sweetpea and Chickaboo's 'The Jump Off' and the recent skat-dancing fire-up 'Skip De Du Dat'. And that's not scratching the surface. This is an epic collection. Essential.
Review: Oh gosh! Whether you're massively into Deep In The Jungle but you've got a few holes in your collection that need filling, or you've just started getting into this side of the music, this 60+ anthem collection is an amazing resource for all modern day junglists. Curated by bossman DJ Hybrid, this collection takes us back through the label's history and cherry picks an amazing array of peaktime wounders, bruisers and bubblers. To pick one or two highlights from such a generous collection doesn't feel right so let us advise you to take in that tracklist, press play and totally vibe out to some of the best jungle bangers made in the last 11 years. Mad love to the DITJ crew!
Review: Sl8r continues to don the hell out of vibes game with this killer new collection on V. Four tracks, four reminders that dnb is in safe hands despite the major commercial activity vulturing the culture right now. From the Moving Fusion style bassline treacle of 'Losing Streak' to the final closing harmonies of MC-du-jour Freddy V on 'Switching It Up', there's no fat whatsoever on here, just pure lean full-contrast drum & bass. In between we have the political grunt and thrust on the title track and plenty of hypey tension on 'Cause For Alarm'. Justice for all!
Review: Holy smokes! Deep In The Jungle is now 10 years old! Huge props to the label bossman - and all-round G - DJ Hybrid who's smashed the label's repertoire and reputation over the years. Just look at the artists who've contributed to the label over the years. Lavery, Sl8r, Hungry T, RMS, Conrad Subs, Epicentre and so many more established jungle talents have all enjoyed a DITJ boost over the years and this massive VA is a reminder of that. 50 cuts from across the last decade, we're not even going to insult the rollcall here picking highlights - this is a huge collection that's essential for anyone looking to stack up on authentic jungle productions and represent one of the coolest, most consistent labels in the jungle dnb world.
Review: Sl8r and Samurai Breaks... Now this is a collab you could write home about! Who knows what your mum or dad might reply with? To be honest we don't really care, we're busy raving it up as the two lads pay homage to the northern rave scene with a savage sense of funk and timeless rave energy. Looking something with more of a classic bluesy vibe? Then look no further as Sl8r's also provided the beautifully funky breakbeat rinse-out 'Homegrown'. Think the playful, sample-sizzling funk of early 2000s Hozzy and you're not far off. Find a bridge and take something to it!
Review: The unstoppable Nuusic crew take time to look back over the last few years of releases and put together this massive 30 track collection of the finest jungle jams they've blessed the world with to date. Featuring the likes of DJ Hybrid, Conrad Subs, Speaker Louis, Kumo, Sl8r, Kumarachi, Veak, Teej and many more, the vibes range from deep space shock-outs ('Back To Me') to peak time bubblers ('Duppy') to all-out breakbeat frenzies ('Jungle Mania') and all fire flavours in between. Essential for all junglists.
Review: DJ Hybrid's Deep In The Jungle continue their 100 celebrations with this epic four track VA version excursion. Each cut hits hard as [IVY] brings turbo wubs to Volition's 'Why' and DJ Hybrid gets twisted over Kumarachi's 'Junglist Styles'. Elsewhere we have two crucial VIP renditions... Sl8r juices up his 'M14 Dub' while Charlie B goes all out ravey gravy on 'Rave Up'. Here's to the next 100.
Review: Manchester talent Sl8r just keeps on levelling up with every EP he drops, and this debut on Ray Keith's Dubplate Dread is no exception. Five cuts full, there's enough exciting energies, ideas, textures and flavours to keep a family of four fed for weeks here. Highlights include the gristly, juicy bassline on the title track, the beautiful early 90sesque breaks and pads of 'Hot Like Pepper' and a range of excellent link-ups with Dunk, Jken and Motiv that range from sizzling ('Stack') to soulful ('Message') Grifters gotta grift.
Review: Ignoring the Lord's Prayer every gosh-darned day, Sl8r leads us directly into 'Temptation' and we wouldn't have it any other way. The title feeds us to the brim with our daily bread thanks to its classic space jazz Headzy feels while 'Hasbulla' delivers us from evil with its scorchio high voltage reese and perfectly rattled snare. Elsewhere the deep subby bubbles of 'System' forgive us our trespasses while the sweet and soulful vibes of Sl8r and Patch Edison's 'It's Amazing' forgive those who trespass against us. Arguably one of his best EPs to date, this is the sound of one of Manchester's most exciting young talents levelling up once again. Sl8r be thy name.
Review: Grand Theft Audio 50 LP is the largest project in the label's history; a 50 track album featuring 25 brand new ones, and another 25 from their extensive back catalogue. They released them over four editions in late 2021,but here it is in its full entirety and, again, we'd like to stress that it's a whopping 50 tracks! From the fierce breakbeat science of Sl8r & Somebody Else's "Facking Jungle M8", to the dark side jump-up of Nothing To Lose & Echidna's "Cyclops" (Intraspekt remix), the widescreen cinematic rhythms of Cynical Gene's "Emerge" and Nvrsoft & Sola's emotive vocal drum 'n' bass roller "Falling" - there's plenty more where they came on the Manchester label's impressive celebratory compilation.
Review: Just when you thought Sl8r couldn't get any funkier, and Slay couldn't get even sharper, along comes 'Danger' and it's naughtier than ever red light district in Europe combined. Straight up rudeboy rudiments; shoulder rolling juicy funk with such natural bars, 'Danger' is a summer anthem in waiting. And if that's not quite enough badman sass along comes Chimpo and joins the pair for another jazzy, light-footed-but-heavy-bellied bumper 'Falling'. Pure juice!
Review: To cap off their three-part anniversary celebrations, Nuusic are laying down the heat on instalment number three. Teej has been one of the main players throughout this series, and with 'War Cry', a minimal roller with the guts of a lion and the roar of one too, as finger-clicking drums bear the weight of something much heavier, a snarling bassline that moves in devilish twists and turns. The vibes are also seriously real on J Select's cut, a spacious number that moves in gruff fits and starts, a barking cut with a catchy sample that smacks of proper rave memories. There's luscious depth on 'Always Be Mine', Speaker Louis and Epicentre finish off the series with the stuttering breaks of 'Unity'. What an LP series and congrats to the crew on three years.
Review: This compilation arrives with a rich heritage of V Recordings compilations behind it, and Planet V has for a number of years been the flagship series for Bryan Gee's label. Edition four comes to a whopping 73 tracks and includes a mix as well, and all the familiar V faces are present, from Alibi to Paul t & Edward Oberon. All of the tunes have already seen the light of day in a previous form, and Disrupta and Duskee's 'Deep Thoughts' is one of the standouts, as Disrupta lays down a minimal yet funky beat for Duskee to rap lyrical over, something he does with serious presence. New gun SL8r makes several appearances, including on the excellent 'What U Need', which bounces along in a synthscape of serious depth and texture, its funky nodes nodding to the beat of a vintage blend. Crossover outfit Think Tonk also shine with 'Tom & Heavy', an offering unique in its stepping, breaksy percussion and one which oozes soulful class. There are dozens more to have a gander at, so take your pick.
Review: Sl8R is the Mancunian on a mission, as he continues his upwards march through the V Recordings camp, with Bryan Gee possibly his main benefactor over the last few years. He's back on Chronic with two more rollers and they're just a certain quality to these that stands out, it's subtle yet wicked, and there's no pretension here; just good vibes. 'Mimosa' mimics the smoothness of its drinkable counterpart, as tumbling synth riffs move in and out to create a flowing, well rounded piece of drum & bass. The flip is more barebones, with wickedly layered percussion and a bigger, more angsty sense of attitude.
Review: Doe, a deer, a female deer. Ray a drop of golden sun. That's The Sound Of Music, circa 1965. Boh, a banger, an absolute banger. Whey, a drop of golden gunfingers. That's the 'Sound Of Nuusic', circa right about now as the Manchester based label let rip with their third V/A experience. Now an annual thing for the label, it's their biggest collection yet as it's super-charged with blaze-ups from the best in the new-gen game. From Sl8r's opener to Conrad Subs' grand VIP finale by way of cuts from the likes of Teej, Sola, Kuma, Epicentre, Kumarachi, Motiv, Selecta J-Man and many more on-point future headlining names, this isn't just the sound of Nuusic, it's the sound of now.
Review: Northern scene legend Adam Wigglesworth sadly passed away on April 3. This is how his friends responded... By compiling one of the biggest tribute albums drum & bass has ever seen. Just look at the amount of talent on here: Pyxis, Euphonique, Nvrsoft, No Concept, Exile, Euphonique, Dawn Raid and so many more artists have contribute to this 45 track album of which all proceeds go to Adam's family. From the blazing bass riff of Sappo's late 90s style neck snapper "Hannibal" to Exile's turbine bass growler "Symbiosis" via Sl8r's jazzy, almost Detroit style vibes on "The Mill" and various bits from Wiggo himself, this is a heartfelt salute from the entire scene to a man who'll be sorely missed.
Review: Man of the moment Sl8r returns to Bryan Gee's mighty Chronic with two more precision slabs of pure groove gold. "Heaven" lands just in time for the summer with its funk stabs, sensual vocal shot, slide guitar and sleazy bass while "Everything" turns up the sexy factor even more with classic house chords, full R&B style vocal and more snazzy ripples of slippery guitar business. Vibes.
Review: Premiership D&B deepsmiths Delta9 hit the streets once again for another immense VA collection. All chiselled from new-gen coal face, all devilishly dark and stripped-back in nature, tracks come from the likes of Waeys, Screamarts, Askel & Elere, Sl8r, Nemy and many more key names-to-watch who are showing all the right sings of donning things in the very near future. Highlights across the 25 track collection include the waspy stabs and elastic bassline of Nemy's "Distracting", the bulldozer groove of RMS's "Mikro", the faraway soul and epic atmospheres of Glyph's "Across Hidden Dimension" to name but a few...
Review: V Recordings sublabel Chronic has developed a reputation for putting out beats that are even more venomous than its big sister, and their long-standing rollers series is getting a beef up with the fourth instalment. Featuring a litany of acts from a range of eras and a diversity of styles, Chronic Rollers Vol. 4 is a perfect addition to the arsenal of any DJ. 'Blindspot' from Nectax blends a soulful sample with an oscillating warp of juddering bass energy; Mancunian upstart SL8R gets subby and rolling with 'Roundabout'; and Brazilian label long-timers Alibi roll things out tidily on 'Sentinel'. Banging.
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